Beiyang Dream

July 27, 1894, morning.

Tianjinwei, the office of the Governor-General of Zhili.

When Yuan Shikai arrived by carriage, it was already broad daylight.

He jumped out of the car at the entrance of the Governor's Office, straightened his official robes, and strode inside. He entered Old Li's inner office without any hindrance.

There were only four people in the inner detention room.

Li Hongzhang stood with his hands behind his back in front of a large table. Zhang Peilun, Zhou Fu, and Luo Fenglu stood beside him. Luo Fenglu was holding a telegram and newspaper and was talking to Li Hongzhang with his head down.

On the table was a map of Tianjin's coastal defenses, with several red circles drawn on it in vermilion ink.

It's obvious that these four are having a military meeting!

Yuan Shikai quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed: "This humble official, Yuan Shikai, pays his respects to Your Excellency..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hongzhang waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, stop with the formalities and come over here to take a look."

Yuan Shikai quickly walked to the table.

He looked down and saw that the places circled in vermilion on the map were: Beitang, Tanggu, Xinhe, Dagu North Bank Fort, Dagu South Bank Fort...

Li Hongzhang didn't stand on ceremony. He pointed to the map and asked, "Weiting, can your three thousand men be mobilized immediately?"

Yuan Shikai was taken aback again.

Now?

immediately?

Yuan Shikai instinctively asked, "Your Excellency, is it that urgent?"

Li Hongzhang remained silent, but turned to look at Luo Fenglu.

Luo Fenglu said, "Brother Weiting, I just received a telegram from Hong Kong—Commander Ding has taken the ships 'Changyuan' and 'Zhiyuan' to Japan and caught the Japanese off guard in Kamakura!"

The telegram he was referring to was sent by the British from Hong Kong to Li Hongzhang.

Changyuan and Zhiyuan have not yet returned to Shanghai, so naturally they have no way to report anything to Li Hongzhang.

There was no wireless telegraph back then.

The wired telegrams between Japan and Qing China were cut off after the two sides declared war.

However, the British legation in Japan could send wired telegrams to Hong Kong, and then, through a roundabout route, deliver the message to Tianjin.

Luo Fenglu glanced at the dumbfounded Yuan Shikai and continued, "The brave men of the navy even went ashore and landed on Kamakura Beach. They set fire to some Japanese shrine. After that, they didn't leave. The ships 'Changyuan' and 'Zhiyuan' blocked the entrance to Tokyo Bay and fought for an entire afternoon, sinking four Japanese merchant ships and capturing two alive..."

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Yuan Shikai's eyes widened: "Ah? Commander Ding is truly formidable! This is truly..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Hongzhang interrupted, saying calmly, "They may be mighty, but our Tianjin is also being blocked by the Japanese. Tell me, what kind of battle is this? It's like they're blocking each other's gates..."

Yuan Shikai's smile froze instantly.

He quickly realized what was going on.

Ding Ruchang was indeed powerful, but he went to the doorstep of the Japanese and set fire to their shrine, sinking several ships.

But there are only two warships, "Changyuan" and "Zhiyuan". How many days can they hold out at sea? Ten days? Fifteen days? They will eventually run out of supplies. They can't just stay at the entrance to Tokyo Bay forever!

And what about Japan? They actually occupied Yantai, besieged Weihaiwei, and had tens of thousands of troops on Shandong ground.

We can cross the sea and land in Tianjin at any time!

What's this called?

You slap someone, and they put a knife to your throat!

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He took a deep breath and looked at Li Hongzhang: "Your Excellency, the Japanese... are they about to land?"

Li Hongzhang nodded: "Tanggu and Beitang were both shelled last night. In addition, Yantai has already fallen. I estimate that the Japanese land forces will be landing in the next few days."

"Weiting, are your men able to move now?"

Yuan Shikai had already considered this matter and immediately nodded: "Yes! Does Your Excellency intend for me to guard Beitang?"

Li Hongzhang shook his head: "No, I want you to guard Xinhe and Tanggu, to protect Luo Yaoting's retreat. Is that feasible?"

Yuan Shikai paused for a moment, then said, "Give me three days, and I can complete the defenses at Xinhe and Tanggu. However…"

Li Hongzhang looked up at him: "Just what?"

Yuan Shikai hesitated for a moment: "But why not deploy defenses at Beitang? Beitang is most likely the first stop for the Japanese pirates to land. Wouldn't it be better to block them there?"

Li Hongzhang glanced at him and said coldly, "If we deploy defenses at Beitang, the Japanese can still land at Luanzhou. At that point, not only will Beitang fall, but Luanzhou might also be lost. It's better to just let the Japanese pirates land at Beitang..."

"As long as you can hold firm and ensure that Dagu Fort's rear is not lost, our Beiyang Army will have a solution!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shikai had even more questions in his mind.

What does it mean to "hold firm and there is a way"?

That kind of steadfastness is what truly counts as steadfastness, isn't it?

He only had 3000 new soldiers, that was his life savings!

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The remaining 3000 Qing Army soldiers and 4000 Yi Army soldiers are not his men yet!

The Japanese army came to "seek revenge," and there was at least a division, or 15,000 men or more.

He can hold out for ten or eight days, but to be "steadfast"... wouldn't that mean his Yuan army would be wiped out?

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Seeing his expression, Li Hongzhang didn't explain much, but simply gave Zhang Peilun a wink.

Zhang Peilun understood, took half a step forward, and said in a low voice, "Brother Weiting, His Excellency is already contacting the British Minister."

Yuan Shikai frowned: "The British are willing to mediate? But Japan is in a fit of rage right now, do you think they'll listen to them?"

Li Hongzhang snorted: "Mediation? What good is mediation? Seriously!"

Yuan Shikai still didn't understand.

What does it mean to be serious?

Zhou Fu, standing nearby, whispered, "If the Japanese pirates land in Tianjin, the Qing Dynasty will be in grave danger of collapse... This is something the British absolutely do not want to see!"

Yuan Shikai suddenly understood everything.

Li Hongzhang's meaning, to put it bluntly, was to let the Japanese invade Tianjin, to let their troops march straight towards Beijing, and to let those foreign dignitaries see for themselves that "the Qing Dynasty is doomed!"

At that time, the British, in order to protect their interests in China, will not intervene.

What do you call this? You call it gambling with the lives of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and hundreds of thousands of people in Beijing!

At this moment, Li Hongzhang stroked his beard and spoke, his tone indifferent: "Weiting, go and make the arrangements. After you've finished, go to Beijing immediately. The Emperor summons you. Remember, after you meet the Emperor, please convey one message for me—I swear to live and die with Tianjin."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shikai felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew something was wrong!

The old Grand Secretary is going to gamble with the Qing Dynasty!

No, it wasn't just the old Grand Secretary and himself.

Even Yuan Shikai was put on this gambling table!

You, Li Hongzhang, have said we'll live and die together, so what about me? What am I supposed to do? I...I...I...

As he was thinking, Li Hongzhang seemed to read his mind and gave a cold laugh: "Now Liaodong is vulnerable... Shengjing is vulnerable... Lushun is vulnerable..."

Yuan Shikai was taken aback.

He looked up into Li Hongzhang's eyes...the eyes of an old gambler.

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Old gambler, get ready to gamble your life at the table!

.......

July 28th (Gregorian calendar).

Beijing, Summer Palace, Hall of Joyful Longevity.

Emperor Guangxu sat on the chair below Empress Dowager Cixi, only daring to rest his buttocks on one side.

He was summoned to the Summer Palace early this morning, because the Empress Dowager wanted to see Prince Gong and wanted him to listen in as well.

Prince Gong Yixin knelt on the military affairs mat, head bowed, looking listless and without any spirit.

He's over sixty this year, and he's no longer the Prince Gong who launched a coup and killed the eight regents.

Kneeling there now, he looked like a wilted old cabbage.

Empress Dowager Cixi sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching a copy of a telegram in her hand. It was sent by the British Legation in Japan, having traveled from Hong Kong to Tianjin, and then from Tianjin to Beijing, going through a long and winding route before finally reaching her.

She finished reading it, her face expressionless. She simply held the telegram without saying a word. She then handed it to Emperor Guangxu: "Your Majesty, please take a look."

Emperor Guangxu quickly stood up, took it with both hands, and looked down at it.

He was stunned when he saw it.

The telegram stated that Ding Ruchang had taken the ships "Changyuan" and "Zhiyuan" to Kamakura, Japan...

After reading it, Emperor Guangxu's eyes lit up, and his voice trembled slightly: "Is...is this real?"

Empress Dowager Cixi remained silent, but frowned and glanced at Prince Gong.

Prince Gong knelt there, weakly saying, "Your Majesty, it should be correct. This is a message from the British Legation in Japan."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangxu was even more delighted: "This is wonderful news! Ding Ruchang and Deng Shichang are both meritorious officials! Reward them!"

As he spoke, he turned his head, wanting to discuss with Empress Dowager Cixi how to best reward her.

Empress Dowager Cixi coughed.

Emperor Guangxu, the "Grand Secretary of the Qing Dynasty," immediately shut up and turned to look at Empress Dowager Cixi.

Empress Dowager Cixi looked at him: "Emperor, do you really think this is a good thing?"

Emperor Guangxu was stunned.

He thought to himself, isn't this a good thing?

This has escalated to Japan's doorstep...

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If this isn't a good thing, what is?

Empress Dowager Cixi could tell from his expression that he didn't understand.

She was too lazy to explain to the muddle-headed emperor, so she turned to Prince Gong and said, "Sixth Prince, you talk to the emperor."

Prince Gong knelt there, weakly saying, "Your Majesty, Ding Ruchang and Deng Shichang fought a good fight. But the Japanese are probably getting impatient."

Emperor Guangxu hadn't even reacted yet: "So what if they're getting angry? They've already declared war, what else can they do?"

Prince Gong sighed: "Your Majesty, I reckon the Japanese pirates will land in Tianjin in the next few days."

The smile on Emperor Guangxu's face vanished instantly.

Tianjin Wei... Beijing City... Jingshan Park... Crooked Tree!

This nightmare... is coming true step by step!

Empress Dowager Cixi sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and muttered, "When will this war ever end?"

Emperor Guangxu, the Grand Secretary of the Qing Dynasty, immediately understood that the old lady wanted to sue for peace!

Prince Gong spoke up: "Empress Dowager, in this old minister's opinion, this war... I'm afraid it will have to continue."

Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at him: "What did the British say?"

Prince Gong said, "The British think that this kind of war is not good. They say that Japan and Qing China don't have any irreconcilable hatred for each other, so even if we were to fight, we should put in some effort. They think a war like landing in Japan, burning down Japanese shrines, and blocking Tokyo Bay would be suitable."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangxu's anger flared: "What kind of talk is this? Does that mean we're allowed to block Tianjin and land in Shandong? It's not right for us to fight back? What kind of logic is that?"

"emperor!"

Empress Dowager Cixi shouted, and Emperor Guangxu immediately shut up.

Empress Dowager Cixi glared at him, then turned to Prince Gong and asked, "Sixth Prince, what exactly do the British mean? Are they planning to intervene and negotiate peace? If so, that's fine too. We can just give up Korea! We'll take it!"

Prince Gong shook his head: "Empress Dowager, that's not what the British meant. What they meant was... for us to continue fighting the Japanese in Korea and Liaodong."

Empress Dowager Cixi was taken aback: "Huh?"

She was a little confused. What was the British thinking?

She's not satisfied with ceding territory and paying reparations?

Little did the old lady know that the British were choosing a watchdog... If they didn't fight the Japanese hard, how would the British know who was the best watchdog?

Just as Empress Dowager Cixi was about to ask something else, a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

A young eunuch hurried in and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Zhang Zhongtang of the Grand Council is outside requesting an audience, saying he has urgent military matters to report."

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Empress Dowager Cixi frowned: "Let him in."

The young eunuch acknowledged and withdrew.

After a while, an old man in his eighties, dressed in an official robe, walked in shakily, clutching a copy of a telegram in his hand. He walked slowly, swaying with every step, looking as if he might fall at any moment.

This old gentleman is Zhang Zhiwan, the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion and a Grand Councilor, who is 84 years old this year.

He walked to the middle of the room and knelt down with a thud.

After kneeling down, he lay there panting, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Emperor Guangxu looked at him anxiously, but dared not urge him—the old lady hadn't said anything, so what could he, the "Grand Secretary of the Qing Dynasty," possibly do?

Old Master Zhang caught his breath for a while before finally recovering. He then said in a trembling voice, "Empress Dowager, Emperor... the Japanese pirates... the Japanese pirates landed at Beitang in Tianjin two hours ago..."

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