Beiyang Dream

January 1894, 8, afternoon.

In Jiuliancheng, a cell was temporarily converted into a prison in the backyard of the patrol office.

Luo Shijie stood in the middle of the cell, holding a bowl of chili water in his hand.

In front of him was a bench, and on it lay a plump man wearing a white undershirt soaked with sweat and chili water. The man's legs were tied to the bench with rope, and three bricks were placed under his heels.

This person is a clerk at the Zhongjiang Tax Bureau, uh.

He didn't have the strength to struggle anymore; he was just trembling all over, his face covered in tears and snot. His eyes were swollen like walnuts; it was hard to tell if they were from crying or from the chili water.

Luo Shijie squatted down, brought his hand close to Tieshi's ear, and whispered, "Tieshi, why are you doing this? You're just a tax collector; you don't need to take the blame for others."

He gasped for breath, "I...I'm a Manchu...I'm a legitimate Manchu with blue insignia...You can't treat me like this..."

Luo Shijie laughed: "So what if they're Manchus? Can't Manchus rebel?"

"I...I'm related to Lord Lian Shun, the Deputy Commander of Jinzhou...My wife's cousin is Lord Lian's sister-in-law..." He gasped as he spoke, "And Lord Yilibu of Phoenix City, he's my brother-in-law...If you do anything to me, those two will not forgive you..."

Luo Shijie stood up and waved to a sergeant from the statistics and survey department next to him.

The soldier immediately grabbed a stack of papers and threw them all at his forehead and face.

He was stunned by the blow and squinted at the papers.

The words on the paper were just written; the ink wasn't completely dry yet!

The top page, with its large characters at the top, reads: "A Sincere Address to the Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces".

Luo Shijie said, "Tieshi, all these things were found in your house!"

"Your concubine has already confessed! She says that these 'Letters to the Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces,' as well as 'Ten Days of Yangzhou,' 'The Defense of Jiangyin,'... were all things you brought back from Yilibu!"

His mouth opened, but he was too shocked to say anything.

Who does this guy surnamed Chang think he is?!

Even Lord Iribui dares to be wronged?

That was a city garrison commander of the third rank... Even Li Hongzhang treated him with great respect!

Luo Shijie continued, "You're just a tax collector, how can you keep so many seditious books in your home? What are you and Yilibu up to? Have you colluded with the Japanese pirates?"

"Are you... planning to take advantage of the Japanese pirates' invasion to emulate the Qing Dynasty's founding emperor's rebellion against the Ming Dynasty and launch an uprising in Jinzhou as well?!"

Her eyes widened in shock: "You...you're making false accusations! I didn't! How could I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Shijie stood up, took the bowl of chili water, and walked to his forehead.

He said to the soldier next to him, "Hold him down."

Two soldiers came up, one pressed down on his forehead, and the other pried open his eyelids.

He struggled desperately, but tied to the bench, he couldn't move at all. He could only watch helplessly as Luo Shijie slowly, slowly poured the bowl of bright red stuff into his eyes.

"ah......"

A scream.

……

Ten minutes later.

Jiuliancheng, the main hall of the patrol office.

He often sat in the middle chair, with a large stack of account books and household registers piled up in front of him. He was looking through the household registers of Jiuliancheng, frowning as he did so.

Nie Shicheng, Feng Guozhang, Shang, and Duan Zhigui were all sitting on the side, waiting to watch the show!

Chang flipped through the register for a while, then snapped it shut and laughed, "There are quite a few people... There are over a thousand Han households, and several dozen! And this is just Jiuliancheng; the Han population in the entire Jinzhou Prefecture is estimated to exceed one million!"

He had just finished speaking when he heard footsteps outside.

Luo Shijie strode in, walked up to Chang, and gave him a military salute.

"Principal, I've admitted him."

Chang looked up and asked, "You confessed?"

Luo Shijie took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over with both hands: "This is my confession."

"I confessed. He was acting under the orders of Yilibu, the garrison commander of Phoenix City, to distribute 'A Letter to the Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces,' 'Ten Days in Yangzhou,' and 'A Record of the Defense of Jiangyin' in the Jiuliancheng area. Yilibu also gave him three hundred Japanese silver dollars as operating funds, instructing him to win over Han Chinese merchants and dockworkers in Jiuliancheng to jointly carry out a major undertaking!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Shicheng frowned: "But... what's Yilibu doing this for? What's in it for him?"

Chang looked at Luo Shijie and said, "Yeah, what are they after? Both Ilibu and I are Manchus. Do they want to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming?"

Luo Shijie said, "Principal, it's not about overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming."

"What is that?"

"I have confessed. Ilibu's idea is to emulate the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty."

Chang nodded and said, "The Manchus are imitating the Great Qing Emperor Taizu... there's nothing wrong with that!"

Nie Shicheng, Feng Guozhang, Shang, and Duan Zhigui exchanged glances and nodded.

This reason... is passable!

Chang glanced at Luo Shijie: "Continue!"

Luo Shijie continued to "tell the story": "Back then, Emperor Taizu was also a great general of the Ming Dynasty. While the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese pirates were exhausted from fighting in Korea, he raised an army to unify the Jurchen tribes and finally established the Great Jin Dynasty."

"That Yilibu wanted to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Japanese pirates' invasion, and with their help, first raise an army in Jinzhou, then attack Shengjing, and finally..."

Luo Shijie paused for a moment: "In the end, he became the emperor of the Later Jin dynasty."

Houhoujin.

The room fell silent for a full five seconds after those three words were uttered.

Nie Shicheng, Feng Guozhang, Shang, and Duan Zhigui almost lost their composure.

Isn't this country's name a bit too hasty?

Finally, Nie Shicheng spoke first: "Later...Later Jin? That's some serious fabrication!"

Feng Guozhang frowned and said, "Brother Zhenbang, something doesn't sound right about this..."

"How many people are there in the Jinzhou Deputy Military Governor's Office? Even if you add up the forces from Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Gaiping, and Xiong Yue, plus the naval forces from Lushun, and those from Xiuyan and Fenghuang, the total number is only three thousand nine hundred. With that many people, you can't even muster a single brigade, yet you think you can become the emperor of the Later Jin?"

Chang also looked incredulous: "That makes sense! How many people are under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Military Governor of Jinzhou? What kind of Later Jin could they possibly be involved in? You didn't force a confession, did you?"

Luo Shijie quickly said, "Principal, I absolutely did not use any torture on anyone. I just put him on the tiger bench a few times and poured some chili water down his throat... If you don't believe me, you can review the case yourself."

Chang thought for a moment and nodded: "A review is necessary! Go and bring the amount here."

……

January 1894, 8, afternoon.

Phoenix City, the rear residence of the Tongzhi Yamen, the flower hall.

Yilibu and Zhang Yue sat facing each other, with a small square table between them. On the table were several small dishes and a pot of strong liquor. The two drank and chatted, but their conversation soon turned into a swearing match.

Ilibu put down his wine glass and sighed, "Lord Zhang, tell me, what kind of crap is this battle?"

Zhang Yue shook his head: "It's indescribable. The imperial court spent so much silver supporting the Beiyang Fleet, millions of taels a year! And what was the result? All they did was boast. 'Great victory here today, great victory there tomorrow,' the newspapers were full of wins and victories every day. But look at the battle lines... from the Nakdong River south of Korea, all the way to Tianjin! What kind of nonsense is this?"

Ilibu slammed his fist on the table: "That's right! I heard yesterday that the Japanese army had already reached the south of Tianjin, firing cannons at the city walls. That Yuan Shikai, whom Li Hongzhang just appointed as the Tianjin President, is reporting victories again... Every day a great victory, every day they retreat!"

Zhang Yue sighed again: "I think we'll have to pay reparations sooner or later. The sooner we pay, the better, so the Japanese pirates don't cross the Yalu River..."

Irib nodded: "That's right, the sooner we lose money, the less trouble we'll have..."

As the two were talking, a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside, and a stumbling person rushed into the flower hall.

When Yilibu looked up, he saw that it was the servant his family had been selling in Jiulian City. His surname was Liu, and everyone called him Liu Er.

Yilibu frowned: "Liu Er, what's wrong with you? Why are you so flustered? What kind of behavior is this?"

Liu Er knelt down with a thud: "Master, Master, something terrible has happened! My men have been arrested!"

Iribu was stunned: "What? I've been arrested? Who arrested me? Why did they arrest me?"

Zhang Yue's expression changed as well: "Has the newly appointed General Yu of Shengjing arrived? Is he going to crack down on taxation? Has your smuggling operation in Jiuliancheng been exposed?"

Upon hearing this, Iribu's face turned pale.

He quickly asked, "Were they arrested by Lord Yu's men?"

Liu Er shook his head: "No, no, it's not Lord Yu."

Iribu breathed a sigh of relief: "What's there to be afraid of? As long as it's not Lord Yu, what can anyone else do to your master?"

Liu Er said, "Master, it's not that you've committed any crimes of corruption or bribery."

Upon hearing this, Iribu flew into a rage: "How dare you speak like that? What do you mean by 'corruption'? Your master is completely innocent; when have I ever committed corruption?"

Liu Er quickly slapped himself across the face: "Yes, yes, yes, this servant misspoke. Of course, Master, you haven't embezzled or broken the law... Master, Master! Someone has falsely accused you of treason!"

There was a three-second silence in the flower hall.

Iribu stood there, stunned, unable to react for a long time.

Then he laughed: "Nonsense! Me, plotting a rebellion? Me, alone, what rebellion could I possibly be plotting?"

Liu Er said, "It's not that I'm talking nonsense, but someone has really wronged you. That person is Chang, the one who was the Assistant Minister of Beiyang Military Affairs. He led more than 20,000 troops and crossed the Yalu River from Korea yesterday, arriving at Jiuliancheng. Then his men found someone in Jiuliancheng posting something called 'A Letter to the Heroes of the Eighteen Provinces,' saying that it was meant to incite the heroes of the eighteen provinces to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming. So he arrested you, and you couldn't withstand the torture, so you confessed that those things were given to you by you."

Iribu was dumbfounded: "What's all this about?"

Liu Er said, "People say you want to emulate the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, taking advantage of the Japanese pirates' invasion, and with their help, raise an army in Jinzhou, first attacking Shengjing, then Beijing, and become some kind of emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty."

Houhoujin.

When those three words were uttered, Iribu was completely stumped.

Zhang Yue's mouth was also open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

After a long pause, Yilibu finally managed to stammer out, "I... I'm just a city garrison commander with only a few hundred men under my command, most of whom are old, weak, sick, or disabled. What kind of emperor am I? This Chang guy is accusing me of something ridiculous, isn't he?"

Liu Er said, "Master, this is not the time to talk about this. That man surnamed Chang has already sent a battalion of foreign-armed soldiers, heading towards Phoenix City! He says he's here to arrest you! You'd better run!"

Irib jumped to his feet, nearly tipping his chair over: "Run? Where can I run to?"

Zhang Yue, realizing what was happening, quickly said, "Lord Yi, you must go to Shengjing immediately! Go find Lord Yu! Lord Yu is the General of Shengjing, in charge of the entire Liaodong region. Once you arrive in Shengjing, explain the situation to Lord Yu and let him take charge for you. No matter how powerful Chang is, he wouldn't dare to go to Shengjing to arrest people, would he?"

Ilibu slapped his forehead: "Right, right, right! Let's go to Shengjing! Let's find Lord Yu!"

He turned and shouted outside, "Someone! Prepare the horses! Quickly, prepare the horses!"

Then he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Zhang Yue: "Lord Zhang, I'll be leaving now. Please keep an eye on things for me and see what that man surnamed Chang is up to."

Zhang Yue also cupped his hands in greeting: "Don't worry, Lord Yi, please go quickly and don't delay us."

Yilibu nodded, turned and walked out. Liu Er followed behind, the two of them hurrying out of the Tongzhi Yamen.

……

Outside the east gate of Phoenix City, on the official road.

Yilibu rode his horse, followed by seven or eight close followers, all of whom were his trusted confidants. The group left through the east gate and galloped north along the official road towards Shengjing.

While they were running, one of the attendants at the front suddenly fell off his horse.

Ilibu quickly reined in his horse, and his entourage behind him also reined in their horses and stopped.

Ilibu looked down at the ground and was stunned.

Along the official road, several strands of barbed wire had been laid out at some point. The wires were so thin that they were almost invisible unless you looked closely. The two ends of the wires were tied to tree stumps by the roadside, lying across the road at just the height of a horse's leg.

Ilibu blurted out, "Who the hell is so stupid as to lay barbed wire on the official road?"

The answer he received was gunfire.

clap clap.

Three gunshots rang out from the woods by the roadside.

Irib felt something slam into his mouth, like he'd been punched in the chest. He tried to cry out, but no sound came out!

Then he fell headfirst off the horse...

Yilibu lay there on the official road, knowing in his heart that something bad had happened—he had been shot!

Am I going to die? I'm only in my forties. I still have three concubines to settle down with. And all the money I've saved, hidden under the study floorboards, I haven't even spent it yet.

Help! Please help me!

He was shouting in his heart, but no sound came out of his mouth.

His consciousness began to fade. He heard someone beside him shouting, "Oh no! Master has been shot! Master is dying! Run! Run!"

Then he heard another sound.

"Kill them all..."

Then he saw a group of people rush out of the woods by the roadside. They were all wearing dark blue military uniforms, not very tall, carrying rifles, their bayonets gleaming white in the sunlight. As they charged, they shouted, "Kill them! Kill them!"

Irib's last thought was: Damn it, who are they? Why are they trying to kill me?