King of Beiyang

For ordinary people, the news of the marriage between the Li and Zhang families was at most just something to talk about over tea.

This will not have any impact on their lives.

At most, it will make people sigh that the two families are a perfect match.

However, for the high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty, this caused a great shock.

The Guangxu Emperor, in particular, who was nominally in power but was in reality still a puppet, was extremely wary of this.

Emperor Guangxu always regarded Li Hongzhang as a key figure in the imperial court and an obstacle to his seizing power.

Now, Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong, two powerful regional officials, have become in-laws through their children's marriage, which is blatantly a case of forming cliques for personal gain!

"Damn it! Li Hongzhang is going too far. He has not only managed the Beiyang Group like an iron barrel, impenetrable to any force, but he is clearly trying to carve out a territory like the warlords of the late Tang Dynasty."

Now, they're even courting Zhang Zhidong. Is this an attempt to seize control of the Yangtze River region?

I suspect that Li Hongzhang is trying to become Cao Cao!

Emperor Guangxu was furious.

  This book is first published on 101 Reading Network, offering a super smooth reading experience with no errors and no disordered chapters.

It must be admitted that Emperor Guangxu still had the hope of striving to improve the Qing Empire and help it get rid of backwardness and poverty.

Unfortunately, he was born to be a puppet of Empress Dowager Cixi.

The vast majority of the civil and military officials in the court, as well as the regional governors, were henchmen of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

It can be said that Emperor Guangxu was like a flying insect trapped in a tight, airtight net; no matter how much he struggled, he could not escape.

Under such circumstances, no matter how ambitious he was, he ultimately had no platform to realize his potential.

Besides, Emperor Guangxu was ambitious but incompetent.

His ambitions were higher than the sky, but his fate was as fragile as paper. Even if he aspired to be a wise and benevolent ruler, he ultimately lacked the fortune and the possibility of achieving his goal.

"Your Majesty, Li Hongzhang's wolfish ambitions have been revealed. However, I believe this may not necessarily be a bad thing. The Empress Dowager is also very wary of Li Hongzhang."

Now, Li Hongzhang's friendship with Zhang Zhidong is undoubtedly going against the Empress Dowager's wishes!

Perhaps the Empress Dowager will strike first against Li Hongzhang.

When they start fighting amongst themselves, we can reap the benefits.

Imperial tutor Weng Tonghe offered his advice.

Although Weng Tonghe was a Han Chinese official, he was utterly loyal to the Guangxu Emperor. He not only devoted himself to planning for the Guangxu Emperor but also wanted to help him become a wise and benevolent ruler.

At the same time, Weng Tonghe, as the leader of the Qingliu faction, also had a great influence among the common people, especially among scholars all over the country.

Weng Tonghe consistently guided scholars to criticize Li Hongzhang.

It can be said that Weng Tonghe was undoubtedly Emperor Guangxu's biggest supporter, providing him with considerable assistance.

Emperor Guangxu nodded repeatedly. Given that his strength was far inferior to that of the Empress Dowager, he seemed to have no other choice but to endure.

"Fine, let them fight like dogs. These traitors, once I have power, I will not let them go!" Emperor Guangxu said through gritted teeth.

This shows how much resentment he harbored towards powerful officials like Li Hongzhang.

The Hall of Joyful Longevity in the Summer Palace.

Prince Li, Shiduo, the chief minister of the Grand Council, was reporting to the Empress Dowager Cixi on the marriage alliance between Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong.

Prince Li, Shiduo, served as the chief minister of the Grand Council for many years.

But in reality, he was nothing but a good-for-nothing.

The reason he was able to sit comfortably in this position and amass such wealth was for only one reason: he was a lackey of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and the person she had installed to sideline Emperor Guangxu.

"Your Majesty, the marriage between Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong is undoubtedly a collusion between local governors and viceroys! There is a possibility of forming cliques for personal gain."

In particular, Li Hongzhang held considerable military power and controlled the powerful Beiyang clique. In terms of actual strength, he was undoubtedly the most powerful among all the local governors-general and governors.

After assuming the post of Governor-General of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong also vigorously promoted Westernization and built up the army.

Once the two collude and become in-laws, it will inevitably pose a great threat to the Qing Dynasty.

"This humble servant dares to humbly request Your Majesty to issue a decree ordering Li Hongzhang to annul this marriage."

Shiduo pleaded.

Xi Tai remained expressionless, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

But those who know Empress Dowager Cixi well understand how obsessed this vicious old woman was with power.

She even once wanted to become the second female emperor in history.

However, due to the immense resistance from both the government and the public, she had no choice but to abandon this unrealistic hope.

But in reality, all the officials in the court were her people.

Even after Emperor Guangxu assumed personal rule, she was nothing more than a puppet in her hands.

Without the Empress Dowager Cixi's approval, Emperor Guangxu's orders could not even leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

It can be said that Empress Dowager Cixi was the true master of the entire Qing Empire.

This also made her fully aware of the benefits of power.

Therefore, even on her deathbed, Empress Dowager Cixi was absolutely unwilling to relinquish the power she held.

This is also why she wanted to kill Emperor Guangxu before she died.

"The marriage between Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong is their private matter. How can outsiders stop them?" Empress Dowager Cixi retorted.

"Your Majesty, Li Hongzhang's rise to power is inextricably linked to Your Majesty's favor. Otherwise, how could he have had the opportunity to rise to such a high position?"

Now, it should be his time to serve the Empress Dowager. However, instead, he has amassed a powerful army and vigorously promoted Westernization, which is tantamount to going against the Empress Dowager and is utterly ungrateful!

Shi Duo seized the opportunity to sow discord between Li Hongzhang and Li Hongzhang.

Empress Dowager Cixi was very opposed to Westernization.

In their view, the Westernization Movement would shake the rule of the Qing Dynasty and affect their power.

They naturally opposed Li Hongzhang's vigorous promotion of Westernization.

However, Li Hongzhang held considerable military power, controlling some of the most capable troops in the Qing Dynasty at the time.

This made them hesitant to act rashly, fearing they might force Li Hongzhang into rebellion.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. If we push Li Hongzhang, or even the entire Beiyang government, into rebellion, then we'll be in big trouble!

Although I may not be able to destroy the Qing Dynasty, the mess I create will be difficult to clean up!

This is also why, although Empress Dowager Cixi no longer trusted Li Hongzhang and was extremely wary of him, she did not truly resort to any means to deal with him.

"Alright, Li Hongzhang is loyal to me, so stop saying such unfounded things. However, it is indeed not good for Li Hongzhang to marry Zhang Zhidong. Here's what we'll do: go and persuade Li Hongzhang, but don't say it's my idea."

If Li Hongzhang is willing to break off the engagement, that would be the best outcome.

If he insists on doing things his own way, then I can't say anything more!

Empress Dowager Cixi made a decision.

Clearly, if Li Hongzhang becomes less obedient, then the Empress Dowager will likely have to find a way to kill him and replace him with a more compliant lackey.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Shi Duo was overjoyed.

You should know that he had long coveted the Beiyang Group.