The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 325: Dong Xingwu

It was not surprising to Cixi that Gangyi knelt down and begged for mercy in a desperate manner.

This is also the reason why Cixi was hesitant when she wanted to mention this matter.

Cixi sighed secretly in her heart, but her face remained expressionless.

"Master Gang, please stand up."

Cixi said calmly, "Although you are the ones who advocated the war, I also nodded my head. This matter will never involve you."

Cixi ignored Gangyi and continued, "This is a serious matter, and it's time to give an explanation."

"Yikuang said in his memorial that Xu Tong had hanged himself at home, and dozens of ministers were killed by foreign cavalry. Qixiu's whereabouts are unknown. If we put on an act again, it will be considered as giving the foreigners face. This will also be of great benefit to future peace talks, and both sides will be able to talk."

When Cixi left the capital, Xu Tong, the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, the Grand Secretary of the Grand Council, and the Prince's Grand Tutor, did not leave the capital with her, but chose to commit suicide at home.

Xu Tong was extremely "conservative and hated Western learning like an enemy." His home was near Dongjiaomin Lane. To express his hatred for foreigners, he even posted a couplet on his door: "Looking at the foreign land and sighing; living next door to ghosts."

It is somewhat ironic that the father and son had originally agreed to die together, and even Xu Tong's son, Xu Chengyu, who served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, comforted Xu Tong.

"My father is a Boxer. If outsiders come, he will be defeated. He has lost the dignity of a minister. Why don't you die for your country? I will follow you to the underworld!"

Unexpectedly, after pulling out the stool from under Xu Tong's feet, Xu Chengyu changed his mind and fled wildly to chase Cixi. However, he was caught up by the Allied cavalry on the way and became a ghost, which also gave Xu Tong some revenge.

After the Western Hunting Team left Beijing, they were caught up by foreign cavalry midway. The ministers accompanying the Emperor were scattered and many were killed or injured.

Judging from the bodies found, more than eighty ministers were killed, including many who were on the list of culprits to be pursued by the great powers.

As for Qixiu, the Grand Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, it is said that he was captured and taken away by Japanese cavalry, and is probably in great danger.

"Also, Dong Xingwu commanded his troops to besiege the foreign embassy area, and his men killed the secretary of the Japanese embassy. The foreigners hated him to the core."

Cixi's voice continued to ring faintly, "But Dong Xingwu has always been loyal and has made many contributions. How can I let such a person suffer any more injustice?"

The Dong Xingwu mentioned by Cixi was the president of the Wuwei Rear Army, Dong Fuxiang. Before the siege of Dongjiaominxiang, Dong Fuxiang's subordinates killed Sugiyama Akira, the secretary of the Japanese embassy who was going to the Zongli Yamen, at Yongdingmen.

Afterwards, Dong Fuxiang's Wuwei Rear Army, also known as the Gansu Army, joined forces with the Boxers to besiege the embassy district. With these things in mind, it is not surprising that Dong Fuxiang was put on the Allied Forces' blacklist.

"I think we should let him stay out of the spotlight for now, dismiss him from his post but keep him in office, and let him take several battalions of his personal troops back to his hometown, and ask him to choose a strategic location to defend. Ma Haiyan's son Ma Qi will take over as the commander of the rear guard army."

Ma Haiyan was a subordinate of Dong Fuxiang. He joined the war despite being ill and died while escorting Cixi to Xuanhua. This time, the position left by Dong Fuxiang was given to his son Ma Qi. This should be the reward given by Cixi for Ma Haiyan's loyalty and bravery.

And saying that Dong Fuxiang was dismissed but allowed to remain in office seemed to be just an excuse.

Since Ma Qi has been arranged to take over, it will no longer be possible for Dong Fuxiang to return to the Gansu Army smoothly.

After hearing Cixi's words about how she dealt with Dong Fuxiang, Zai Yi felt a little relieved. Cixi still protected Dong Fuxiang to some extent and did not take the matter to the extreme.

Being able to treat Dong Fuxiang like this, if Teng Yuzhao could not protect himself, Cixi would probably also show mercy to her subordinates and give himself some care.

But at this moment, Cixi shook her head, and Li Lianying came to Zai Yi with a scroll in his hands. This action frightened Zai Yi so much that his face turned pale as paper. Could it be that he was going to do something to him?

As soon as this terrible thought came to his mind, Zai Yi suddenly felt weak all over. Even his knees felt weak and he was so shaky that he could hardly stand.

Fortunately, Cixi soon revealed the answer, "Prince Duan, Dong Xingwu still needs you, the Prime Minister of the Military Affairs Council, to comfort him. This is the handwritten letter given to him by the emperor. Give it to him and let him go back home with peace of mind."

After hearing Cixi's words, Zai Yi's heart, which had been hanging in the air, slowly settled down. He breathed a sigh of relief, calmed himself, and slowly unfolded the scroll in his hand.

On the scroll, there was indeed Guangxu's handwriting, which read "When I hear the drums of war in the future and think of my generals, who else can I follow but you?"

Pi drum is a small drum used in the ancient Chinese army. After the Han Dynasty, it was also called cavalry drum, referring to the army or war.

Guangxu's handwritten letter was naturally written under the instruction of Cixi. It was to comfort Dong Fuxiang and reassure him that he would be re-employed if there was an opportunity in the future.

Cixi took another deep breath and said, "With this imperial handwritten letter, I believe Dong Xingwu will understand the court's painstaking efforts."

Cixi seemed to have finally removed the stone that was weighing on her heart. She seemed to feel a lot more relaxed and her tone became softer, but she spoke with an unquestionable sense of pressure.

"If you have no objection, let's do it this way."

At Cixi's signal, Li Lianying stepped forward and helped Gangyi up.

Cixi seemed not to want to say more about this matter and changed the subject.

"Now that we have finished discussing this matter, let's discuss where the imperial court will stay."

Zai Yi, who had just relaxed, was frightened again by Cixi's words and spoke hurriedly.

"Empress Dowager, Teng Xingfu is still leading his army in the capital to fight against the foreigners. It is not appropriate for Her Majesty to stay away from the capital. Can you stay in Taiyuan to boost the morale of the soldiers at the front?"

Zai Yi was extremely reluctant to go to Xi'an. Ronglu had been the general of Xi'an for many years. Once he arrived in Xi'an, he, as the chief military minister, would probably be completely marginalized by Ronglu.

Furthermore, Xi'an would be farther away from Teng Yuzao and his vanguard troops, which would make Zai Yi feel even more uncertain.

Wang Wenshao, who had been gloating over Cixi's reluctant handling of these war advocates, became even more excited when he heard Cixi talk about the imperial residence. He ignored Zai Yi's words and stepped forward and spoke.

"Queen, I think it would be better to just move the capital."

As soon as Wang Wenshao finished speaking, Zai Yi was furious and could not help but scold him again, "Stupid! This is nonsense!"

Then Zai Yi said to Cixi with a flushed face.

"Empress Dowager, what Wang Wenshao said is ridiculous. In the year of Wuxu, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao's rebels instigated the emperor to move the capital, but in the end, they were stopped by the Empress Dowager."

"Besides, the reason why Emperor Xianfeng did not move the capital in the end is also very important. I hope the Empress Dowager will understand that in this critical situation, moving the capital is absolutely not advisable."

感谢：20211103190956439、小程序看书、20170517171631467、20210301106591130664、无书无钱我、..老毛、浪子江淮、20161224211410180、wxzdtq小多、希格拉之耀、-天-、20210301105267525784、江南四友黑白子、五星嘉耀、深蓝等书友的月票、推荐票支持！



(End of this chapter)