The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 441: Yixin's Impeachment

Teng Yuzao said with a little pride, "The foreigners must have thought it through now. If they don't destroy the vanguard army and kill me, Teng Yuzao, the imperial court will have something to rely on and will not easily negotiate peace with them."

"The coalition of the great powers will never achieve a real military victory, and their attempt to blackmail the imperial court and force it to sign an unequal or even humiliating treaty with them will never be realized."

"But it is not easy for them to destroy the vanguard army. Facts have proven that it is impossible to do so by relying solely on the coalition forces of hundreds of thousands of great powers. They may not even be able to protect themselves safely. Therefore, the great powers will definitely send more troops."

"Next time, they will definitely gather more troops and will not stop until the vanguard army is dead."

Teng Yuzao added in a serious tone, "This time, the great powers will probably increase their military strength enough to frighten the imperial court. The great powers are probably planning to use their heavy troops to wipe out the vanguard army in one fell swoop, use the power of a great victory to force the imperial court to negotiate peace, cede territory and pay compensation, and then sign an unequal treaty."

"But they may have miscalculated. The Vanguard Army is not made of clay, and I, Teng Yuzao, am not someone they can easily defeat!"

Teng Yuzhao only mentioned the cession of territory and payment of indemnities, and did not mention the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed by Li Hongzhang. However, Zhou Fu still looked gloomy.

Teng Yuzhao could see that the pain of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 had given Zhou Fu a great shock.

Zhou Fu thought for a long time before saying, "Xingfu's meaning is that if the foreigners come back, they will force the court to negotiate peace with them if they win."

"But the foreigners have been defeated. How can they just give up? Won't they continue to send more troops?"

"Great powers like Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Austria are too far away from the Qing Dynasty. Won't they encourage Japan and Russia to increase their troops?"

Then, Teng Yuzao gave Zhou Fu some international knowledge and explained in detail the intrigues, deceptions and mutual vigilance among the great powers.

After listening to Teng Yuzao's explanation in detail, Zhou Fu sighed for a while before saying.

"Li Zhongtang wrote to me again, saying that after reading your book The Rise of Great Powers, he truly understood the way to enrich a country and strengthen its military. He even said that he was blind and didn't discover you, a pillar of society, earlier, leaving you in the dust at Beiyang Wubei Academy for so long."

"He even praised Ronglu and Yulu, two people he had always looked down upon, and said that it was thanks to these two people's keen eyes that they discovered and employed you, Xingfu."

"After hearing what Xingfu said today, I feel the same as Li Zhongtang. If Xingfu had been promoted and appointed at the beginning, I am afraid there would not have been the humiliation of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895."

Teng Yuzao was not surprised when Zhou Fu relayed Li Hongzhang's words.

Anyone would regret it if he suddenly discovered after leaving office that a previously unknown person under his command had risen to prominence and become a heroic figure admired and revered by people all over the world.

When talking about the humiliation of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Zhou Fu's eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing Zhou Fu getting sad, Teng Yuzhao quickly changed the subject.

"Uncle, the great powers are all greedy, especially Japan and Russia. Their military expenditures have long been in deficit, and they are now borrowing money from private banks in Britain and France to fight us."

"Those great powers were also eager to end the war so that they could get a huge amount of compensation from the Qing Dynasty, so that they could make up for the shortfall in military spending."

Teng Yuzao said worriedly, "I am just worried that during this period, the great powers will try every possible means to plunder money from the people of the Qing Dynasty." Teng Yuzao's words made Zhou Fu's face darken. He had heard a lot about the great powers' armies looting along the way, especially that the great powers not only robbed, but also killed people on a large scale.

Zhou Fu nodded and said, "Xingfu is right. Fortunately, Xingfu led his troops to block Tianjin and the capital, allowing most gentry and civilians to leave safely. However, in the counties and towns along the way, especially Tongzhou..."

When Zhou Fu mentioned Tongzhou, his face was filled with hatred and he couldn't continue speaking.

At this point, Zhou Fu suddenly remembered something and spoke hurriedly.

"Xingfu, I have been here for three days. I heard that seeing that the situation is looking good, some court officials and nobles have begun to impeach you."

Hearing that someone was impeaching him, Teng Yuzao was stunned.

Although he had won victory after victory, Cixi could still stay safely in Shanxi, relying entirely on himself to fight in the front. But he had done many things that were still not visible to the public. Was it that the news leaked out, so that these people thought the crisis was over and were ready to settle accounts with him?
Or, was this secretly instructed by Cixi so as not to damage her own reputation and lay the groundwork for future treatment of herself, the governor who held a large number of troops?

Seeing Teng Yuzao's suspicious expression, Zhou Fu hurriedly said, "It's like this, these people said that you were ineffective in suppressing the Boxers in the capital, which resulted in the capital being almost completely looted by the rebellious Boxers."

"The leader of this was Prince Qing Yikuang, who even said that you colluded with the Boxers and took the opportunity to enrich yourself."

Hearing Zhou Fu say this, Teng Yuzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the events in the capital could be blamed on the Boxers, and even partly on the Allied Forces, some clues were inevitably revealed. However, "the Boxers looted the wealthy and powerful in the capital", even the government treasury, but did not touch the royal palace.

Moreover, as long as there is a threat from foreigners, even if Cixi can still feel it for one day, she will not do anything to him.

However, Teng Yuzhao secretly made up his mind to speed up his control over the vanguard army.

Teng Yuzao smiled bitterly and said, "Uncle, the Boxer Rebellion caused chaos in the capital, and I am inextricably linked to this matter. If the court wants to make a fuss about this matter, I will resign and retire after the foreign powers are driven away."

"Besides, in fact, this incident was not entirely caused by the Boxers. After I leave the capital, the armies of the foreign powers will enter the city and plunder and loot on a large scale."

"When I left the capital, I warned the coalition forces not to touch the royal family's things. I wonder if the great powers will keep an eye on their people? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be charged with one more crime!"

Hearing Teng Yuzao's depressed tone, Zhou Fu hurriedly said, "Xingfu, don't worry. The Queen Mother has already severely reprimanded those who submitted memorials."

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this matter for now. We must never let such a thing happen again and let the conspiracy of the great powers succeed."

"If they loot a large amount of money during this period, I'm afraid the powers will be determined to continue the war."

"In order to avoid being plundered by foreign powers, and to ensure that the wealthy families in Nanzhili could leave for refuge with light luggage, saving them the inconvenience and worry of carrying large sums of money."

(End of this chapter)