King of Beiyang

February 16th, the 2th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, was Lunar New Year's Eve.

Li Jingyuan had just returned to Baoding from the Liaodong Peninsula the day before.

In winter, Li Hongzhang usually worked at the Zhili Governor-General's Office in Baoding. Therefore, the entire Li family would gather there.

Li Jingfang, who was appointed Minister to the Japanese Empire, also returned home on the occasion of reporting for duty.

After all, Li Hongzhang, as the Beiyang Minister, was in charge of the diplomacy of the entire Qing Empire, and it was only a matter of his word for Li Jingfang to return to China to report on his duties.

This also allowed the Li brothers to get together during this time.

The Li family now has four sons: the adopted son, the eldest son Li Jingfang; the second son, the legitimate eldest son Li Jingshu; the third son, Li Jingyuan; and the fourth son, Li Jingmai.

Among them, Li Jingyuan and Li Jingmai were born of the same mother. Their mother was Lady Mo, a concubine of Li Hongzhang.

Of Li Hongzhang's many wives and concubines, only Mo remained.

Li Hongzhang is not young anymore. He will soon turn seventy after the New Year.

It is said that few people live to seventy, and in this era, there are very few who can live to be seventy.

After a lively family reunion dinner, Li Hongzhang went to his study as usual.

Of the four sons, Li Jingmai was still young, only sixteen years old, and was in school, so he did not participate in the conversation between the father and his sons.

But Li Jingfang, Li Jingshu, and Li Jingyuan are all adults.

Li Jingfang has been serving as the ambassador to the Japanese Empire for over two years. According to the planned strategy, if he accumulates more seniority over another two years, he might be able to strive for the position of ambassador to a major Western power.

Li Jingshu remained the same, focused solely on the imperial examinations and disliking serving as an official outside the capital.

However, Li Jingshu failed the imperial examinations several times and was not selected.

In another time and space, Li Jingshu also waited until the 21st year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign before finally getting his chance.

However, because of the disastrous defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, the chief examiner held a grudge against Li Hongzhang. When he opened the envelope and saw that it belonged to Li Hongzhang's son, he immediately disqualified him.

As a result, Li Jingshu was never able to pass the imperial examination in his entire life.

Li Jingyuan, needless to say, is now the Vice Admiral of the Beiyang Fleet and has also established a Marine Corps, working diligently and enthusiastically.

"Boss, how's the situation on your end?" Li Hongzhang asked.

"Father, based on my observations over the past two years, I believe my third brother is right. The Japanese have become so open about their wolfish ambitions that they no longer try to hide them."

They are frantically expanding their army, buying warships, and preparing for war.

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The entire country and the entire nation are on the verge of going crazy.

War is probably truly imminent.

Li Jingfang looked very serious.

After being appointed Minister to the Japanese Empire, he paid particular attention to news in this regard.

Everything he saw and gathered in the Eastern Empire indicated that the Japanese were preparing for war.

It goes without saying that once war breaks out, the Qing Empire will inevitably be the first to be attacked and become the target of the Japanese invaders.

The Beiyang Group, under the leadership of Li Hongzhang, will likely have no choice but to fight against the Japanese.

The corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the madness of the Japanese invaders filled Li Jingfang with deep concern.

Li Hongzhang nodded; all of this was within his expectations. Furthermore, he and Li Jingyuan had already discussed these matters and were making preparations as much as possible.

"Second brother, what about you?" Li Hongzhang then asked.

"Father, I have been studying and preparing for the imperial examinations. Unlike my elder brother and younger brother, I do not have lofty ambitions. I am content as long as I can fulfill my filial duties to you," Li Jingshu replied.

Li Hongzhang knew his eldest son's character well and had long since given up on the idea of ​​him being a disappointment.

Fortunately, his third son, Li Jingyuan, performed very well, which pleased Li Hongzhang.

Therefore, Li Hongzhang had long placed his hopes on Li Jingyuan.

"Third brother, what about you?" Li Hongzhang asked.

"Father, I have completed the formation of the 1st Marine Division. The troops are intensifying their training and are expected to be combat-ready soon."

However, an army must eventually go to the battlefield and see blood before it can be transformed into an elite force.

Therefore, I plan to launch a large-scale anti-bandit operation in Fengtian and throughout Northeast China after the spring. This operation will target and eliminate the bandits who are rampant in the Northeast.

This would not only serve as training grounds for troops, but also effectively maintain order in Northeast China.

Li Jingyuan said.

The Northeast region is rich in resources, and Li Jingyuan plans to send a large number of people to the Northeast in the future to increase its development.

The abundance of beards everywhere is naturally detrimental to the development of Northeast China.

This is a good opportunity to get rid of these whiskers.

Li Hongzhang was also a man who had led troops and fought battles, and he knew that troops that had seen bloodshed and troops that had not were completely different things.

"That is indeed a solution. However, we need to make sure to give advance notice to the officials in the Northeast."

"Alright then, I will send letters to General Yulu of Shengjing, General Changshun of Jilin, and General Yiketanga of Heilonghe."

Li Hongzhang said.

"Thank you, Father!"

Li Jingyuan knew that after Li Hongzhang made the necessary arrangements, most of the generals in the Northeast would readily grant him favors.

Even if these generals are all high-ranking officials of the first rank.

However, they also did not want to offend Li Hongzhang, who held a very high position in the government.

"In addition, steel mills, shipyards, and arsenals on the Liaodong Peninsula have begun to start production one after another, and the railway is still under construction. Everything is developing in a positive direction," Li Jingyuan continued.

Li Hongzhang nodded repeatedly, very satisfied with Li Jingyuan's performance.

"I heard that old fellow Song Qing went to your place to beg for money," Li Hongzhang asked.

"Yes, Father. However, the Yi Army is an elite force after all. It can be useful in future wars. So, we gave them some supplies," Li Jingyuan replied.

"You provided supplies to the Yi Army, and that old guy has his eye on you now."

"Huh? What does this mean?" Li Jingyuan was greatly surprised and somewhat confused.

"That old fellow wrote me a letter praising you and everyone else. At the end, he proposed a marriage alliance with me, saying that his youngest granddaughter, fifteen years old, was so beautiful that she could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and the moon hide its face in shame."

However, I sent someone to inquire, and the old man's granddaughter is big and burly, so fat she's almost a ball. How could she possibly be described as beautiful as a fish sinking, a goose falling from the sky, a moon hiding its face, or a flower blushing?

Besides, I am of the same generation as that old fellow, and he is my subordinate.

"If you really marry his granddaughter, wouldn't that make that old man a senior? Would he be climbing all over me? How could that be possible?"

Li Hongzhang looked very dissatisfied.

Li Jingyuan was equally frustrated, never expecting that delivering something would cause such a problem.

Li Jingfang and Li Jingshu found it amusing, as they were both older and had long been married with children.

Li Jingshu, in particular, although he did not pass the imperial examination, already had several sons.

"Father, the third son is getting on in years, it's time for him to settle down and start a family," Li Jingshu said.