Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 238 Bloody suppression! The capital city was a river of blood!

The elite of the Eight Banners still did not change at all.

At that time at Baliqiao, the Mongolian cavalry was like this, burying their heads and rushing forward, relying on a bloody courage.

As if as long as they were brave and rushed forward desperately, they could prove that they were qualified soldiers.

But in fact, this was not even bravery.

Burying their heads and rushing forward was actually another kind of laziness.

In fact, Su Ye was very willing to put himself in the shoes of these Eight Banners soldiers at this time.

Prince Dun Yizhen said that in the past two years, they had changed after knowing shame and training hard.

Su Ye was disdainful after listening to it, but thinking about it carefully, perhaps many Eight Banners soldiers really thought so.

In fact, they really had a period of time when they sweated and trained desperately, and even bled.

Even in training, they were bleeding.

But that was more of a headless fly-like shame effect, a three-minute enthusiasm.

After sweating and bleeding, I rested with peace of mind, feeling that I had worked hard.

Just like the Qing Dynasty in history, after the British and French forces broke through Beijing, they seemed to know shame and then courage, and wanted to reform and develop the Westernization Movement, which was also done vigorously, creating a so-called Tongzhi Restoration.

Especially after the so-called Zhennan Pass victory, they felt that they had defeated the French, felt that they were strong, and could lie down for a while.

Then the following Sino-Japanese War completely tore the underwear of the entire country and nation.

The so-called reform, if you don't touch the fundamental problems, is useless.

The so-called effort is to start from the inside out.

If you don't completely break your past, reshape your soul, and complete the bloody transformation from the core to the flesh, it's useless.

If you don't fight the hardest battle, it's useless.

Look at the rise of the foot basin, how tragic and cruel was the Russo-Japanese War?

Look at the flying horses and the corpses on the ground.

Su Ye did not feel any joy of victory, but only felt a wave of sadness.

This group of Eight Banner soldiers certainly bears an unshirkable responsibility for the backwardness and corruption of this country.

Even the whole country is responsible.

Old ideas and old thinking are not the responsibility of one family or one surname.

But the biggest responsibility, of course, is the leader. You can't find a way out and lead them to wander around in the quagmire.

After the fifty Eight Banner elite cavalry were completely destroyed, the remaining fifty Eight Banner elite infantry were also completely stunned.

Suddenly, I didn't know whether to advance or retreat.

The whole formation began to be in chaos. Some people retreated and some rushed forward.

Prince Dun Yizhen couldn't help it and shouted: "Return to defense."

After this life-long roar, the leading general led the remaining fifty infantrymen to retreat behind the low wall, intending to hide for a while and play defense.

Although it was not glorious, winning was more important.

On the side of Su Ye's new army, after everyone loaded the bullets, the ten people were divided into two parts.

From the left and right wings, they began to encircle the fifty Eight Banners soldiers.

Everyone was stunned.

You, ten of you, are you going to divide your troops into two wings to encircle us?

The fifty Eight Banners soldiers began to raise their guns and aim, and started shooting as soon as they entered the range.

However, before they entered the range, Su Ye's new army had already begun to lie on the ground and crawl forward.

Huh? !

How can we fight this? You lie on the ground, how can we hit you?

Haven't experienced it before?

Before the emergence of the rear-loading rifle, crawling forward to fight was basically impossible.

The emergence of Su's repeating rifle allowed this tactic to appear.

Next, Su Ye's two elite teams crawled directly to the two wings of the Eight Banners soldiers.

After entering the range.

The two teams began to fire.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Su Ye closed his eyes and didn't want to watch at all.

This group of Eight Banners soldiers was too clumsy and had no way to deal with it.

Moreover, there was no place to hide in this temporary venue.

In just a short moment, a group of them were knocked down.

Yizhen yelled again: "You also lie down, lie down."

Suddenly, the remaining Eight Banners soldiers also began to lie down.

It was indeed difficult to hit them lying on the ground.

However, when this group of Eight Banners soldiers lay down like this, Su Ye's new army got up instead and charged directly towards the group of Eight Banners soldiers lying on the ground.

"Bang, bang, bang..." The group of Eight Banners soldiers opened fire in panic.

But the hit rate was too poor, and basically no hits were made.

"Bang!"

Unlucky, a soldier of Su Ye's new army was hit directly in the stomach, and his whole body trembled violently.

He looked down, and at this time his adrenaline surged, but he actually didn't feel the pain.

Seeing the blood gushing out of the wound in his stomach, the soldier gritted his teeth and continued to rush forward.

He didn't leave the front line even if he was slightly injured.

When fighting against the British and French coalition forces in the capital, more brothers were much more seriously injured than this, but they still insisted on fighting.

"Surrender, raise your guns!"

"Surrender, raise your guns!"

Ten people surrounded more than thirty people on both sides.

Some of the more than thirty Eight Banner soldiers raised their guns in bewilderment.

"Don't surrender, don't surrender, fight them, fight!" Someone suddenly shouted.

Instantly, the Eight Banner soldiers, with blood boiling, put down their raised hands and prepared to fight forward.

However, their guns were out of bullets.

No bullets, but there were bayonets, so they waved their bayonets and rushed up frantically.

Su Ye's elite new army immediately changed their formation.

Two three-man teams and one four-man combat team.

The four-man team protected the injured brother behind them.

Then, they kept aiming and firing.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

At such a close distance, it was a one-sided massacre.

After a short moment.

Most of the thirty or so Eight Banners soldiers had fallen.

Su Ye's new army hesitated for a moment, but it was only less than a second. Seeing that the other side did not surrender, they continued to fire.

Then...

The battle was over.

All the Eight Banners infantrymen fell down and lay on the ground wailing.

Because after completely securing the victory, Su Ye's new army had avoided the vital points and only made the other side lose mobility.

From beginning to end.

The whole battle lasted less than half an hour.

One hundred Eight Banners new army were almost wiped out.

And Su Ye's new army was injured.

The whole audience was dead silent.

They thought they would lose, but they didn't expect to lose so ugly.

Even Su Ye did not expect that the level of each of these elite Eight Banners soldiers was actually good.

But he did not expect that they were so disorganized.

They were either at a loss, or they raised their guns and fired randomly, or they just rushed forward with their heads down.

All the Eight Banners ministers present were stunned.

The two Empress Dowagers felt cold all over and their faces were pale.

"Are the Eight Banners soldiers... so unbearable?" Yehenara said after a long while.

Almost no one answered.

"Ronglu, are the Eight Banners soldiers so unbearable?" The Empress Dowager asked again.

Ronglu said: "Empress Dowager, the times have changed, and the way of fighting has also changed. But the Eight Banners Army still fights with the old thinking, so there is such a situation."

The Empress Dowager asked: "What about your Tianjin New Army?"

Ronglu said: "The Tianjin New Army has a good tactical level. But the resilience and willpower are far behind."

The Empress Dowager said: "Then where did this resilience and willpower come from?"

Ronglu said: "Fighting, fighting the most difficult and tragic battles, gradually honing it."

The Empress Dowager asked: "Su Ye, which battle is the most core and critical for your army?"

Su Ye said: "The battle to defend the Old Summer Palace and the Imperial Palace."

The Empress Dowager said: "How many casualties did you suffer in that battle?"

Su Ye thought for a while and said: "Probably the British and French coalition forces Twice, my army... suffered most casualties."

The Queen Mother said: "The casualties are... so great?"

Su Ye said: "Yes."

"Queen Mother, the foreigners are still determined to destroy us. Their army is so powerful, and they have a million troops."

"You see that my ten people are so powerful, but... Britain, France, Russia and other countries have such powerful armies, more than one million."

"The last time the British and French forces broke through the capital, it was earth-shattering for us, but it was not worth mentioning for Britain and France. The strength they used was only a drop in the bucket."

"If there is no military reform at this time, I am afraid that the country will be destroyed in the future."

……………………………………

The results of the actual combat exercise in Nanyuan Parade Ground spread throughout the capital like a storm.

And Prince Dun Yizhen, who was at the scene, was completely depressed.

Many Eight Banners ministers also really considered this issue for the first time.

Before, everyone couldn't turn around, thinking that the abolition of the Eight Banners Army was to subvert the foundation of the Qing Dynasty and had ulterior motives.

But now everyone has another question in mind.

If Su Ye is Dong Zhuo, Su Ye is Cao Cao, he probably wants the Eight Banners Army to be so weak.

It's better to stay this way.

Why did he promote military reform, and he made it clear that the first batch of the newly established imperial army would have half of the bannermen.

So, this small actual combat exercise really made a big difference.

It made everyone completely sober.

The army has reached the point where it has to be reformed.

……………………

At this time, the twenty or thirty thousand Eight Banners soldiers were still surrounded outside the palace, waiting for the result of the Nanyuan parade.

Prince Dun Yixin appeared in front of everyone on a fast horse.

Suddenly, countless people came up and said, "Prince Dun, how is it? How is it?"

Yixin walked up to the built high platform, looked at the dense crowd, and slowly said, "One hundred Eight Banners elites, fighting against ten people, the whole army was destroyed."

Suddenly, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Countless people changed color.

How is this possible?

One hundred people can't beat ten others?

And the whole army was annihilated?

After a long while, someone asked, "Prince Dun, how many casualties did Su Ye's army suffer?"

Prince Dun Yixin said, "One person was injured."

Countless people present felt a burning pain on their faces.

It's too humiliating.

Even doubting life.

Has our Eight Banners Army become so bad?

We usually train and think we are good, and we think we are very impressive and hardworking.

Yixin waved his hand and said, "Disband, disperse!"

Someone shouted, "Prince Dun, then...will the Eight Banners Army be disbanded?"

Yixin was also confused and said, "Listen to the court and the two Empress Dowagers."

Then he left and returned to his own Prince Dun Mansion.

Today's battle had a huge impact on him. He didn't want to talk or think now. He just wanted to go home and stay alone.

……………………

The next day!

Only half of the Eight Banners soldiers surrounding the palace remained.

For the first time, the imperial court truly began to discuss whether to disband the Eight Banners Army.

The scope was very small, with only a dozen people participating, all of whom were important officials of the imperial court.

The Queen Mother of the two palaces mostly just listened and did not express much opinions.

Yehenala said: "I will set the tone, and then everyone will speak freely, say everything in their hearts, and explain the truth thoroughly."

"Even if there is a quarrel, it doesn't matter at all."

"At least everyone knows it's not for personal grudges, but for the sake of this country."

Next, the center of the imperial court fell into a fierce debate.

Sure enough, the more we debated, the clearer it became.

Of course, it’s not that right and wrong are becoming clearer, but that the position is becoming clearer.

Duan Hua said: "Mr. Su, I would like to ask, will the dismantling of the Eight Banners Army have an effect on the hearts of the people in the world, that is, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty will be lost?"

Su Yi said: "Yes."

Duan Hua said: "Then let me ask, just as you said, all the 100,000 people in the Eight Banners' capital camp will be abolished directly, and then the best will be selected. If there are not enough people, they will be selected from the lower-level bannermen. The training will be If the 30,000 to 40,000 new Imperial Army troops are trained exactly according to your method, will they be able to develop a strong army?"

Su Yi said: "Barely enough."

Duan Hua said: "Then the Imperial Army that is organized and trained should still use its original name, isn't it okay? It's still called the Zhenghuang Banner Army, the Bordered Yellow Banner Cavalry, etc., isn't it okay? What name it is called, will it affect its combat effectiveness? ?”

Duan Hua's words expressed everyone's feelings.

If you, Su Yi, talk about military reform, then we will change it.

You said you want to train the Army according to your method, then we will follow your instructions.

However, the name does not need to be changed.

The Imperial CSKA is still called the Eight Banners Army, isn't it allowed?

Then, everyone looked at Su Yi.

There were sixteen ministers, eleven bannermen, and five Han people present.

Su Yi said slowly: "No."

Prince Gong said: "Why not?"

Su Yi said: "Because the population base of the banner people is not enough."

"We will need at least three and a half million from the Central Army in the future. Prince Gong and Prince Zheng, can we select so many elite men from the bannermen?"

There's definitely no way to choose.

Seng Gelinqin said: "If there are not enough bannermen, we will choose from the Mongols."

Zaiyuan said: "If it's not enough, just pick them from the Han people and raise their flags. Anyway, there are already Eight Banners Han troops in the Eight Banners."

"No!" Su Yi said firmly.

Sushun's face twitched slightly and he said, "Give us a reason."

Su Yi said: "Manchus and Han are at odds!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's hearts trembled.

This is a soul topic that no one dares to touch.

The conflict between Manchu and Han became more and more serious.

In the current situation, the Manchus in the center have the final say, but in most places it is the Han who have the final say.

Prince Gong said: "You... do you want to blur the boundaries between Manchu and Han?"

Now, both queens are beginning to fear this topic.

The dismantling of the Eight Banners Army is already an extremely deep-seated reform.

The Manchu-Han system is the institutional soul of this country.

Marriage between Manchu and Mongolia to control the Han people.

This is the basic national policy of the Qing court.

Su Yi said: "Yes."

Everyone trembled slightly and thought to themselves.

You...you are awesome.

You dare to say this, you are awesome.

The ears of several Han ministers present were ringing.

Regardless of whether it was Zhou Zupei, Jiao Youying, Tian Yugong or others, their minds felt like roaring.

Tian Yugong has been following Su Yi for a long time, and he probably knows a thing or two about his inner policies, but he feels that these are the deepest thoughts and cannot be told to the public.

However, Su Yi admitted it openly.

Yi tremblingly said: "Su Yi, you... you are also a bannerman, you are also a clan member, and you are also a descendant of the ancestors."

Su Yi said slowly: "Prince Gong, in the face of major changes unseen in a century, if you want to strengthen this country, is it enough to rely on the strength of the Manchus and Mongols? Of course it is not enough, so there was the rise of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army."

Duan Hua said: "Master Su Yi, you also know Zeng Guofan. Now he has almost 200,000 troops. He just doesn't want to attack Anqing. He is not of the same mind as us."

After saying this, Duan Hua couldn't help but regret.

There were still too many people present, and if his words spread, it would cause an uproar.

But in his anger, he couldn't help but speak out.

Su Yi said: "First cut down the Eight Banners Beijing Camp, then cut down the local Eight Banners, then cut down the local Green Camp, then cut down the local regiment training, of course including the Hunan Army."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's scalp went numb again.

This is an army of more than one million people.

Su Yi said: "While cutting, train the army at the same time. After practicing one part, cut another part."

Seng Gelinqin said: "Xiang Su, if you move so violently, aren't you afraid that the world will be in chaos and fall apart before you can train the new army?"

Then, Seng Gelinqin bowed and said: "The Queen Mother, I suggest that the Eight Banners military camp be reduced by one-third first. Then we will train 30,000 people in the new Imperial Army and see the effect."

"And the new Imperial Army that has been trained will still bear the name of the Eight Banners."

"Without the Eight Banners, there would be no Qing Dynasty."

Then, more than a dozen people present came out one after another and said: "I second the proposal!"

"My slave seconded the motion!"

"My slave seconded the motion!"

Among the dozen or so people present, all agreed.

Except for Su Yi, Tian Yugong and Ronglu.

Yehenala said: "Ronglu, what do you think?"

Ronglu said: "I am neutral."

Tian Yugong said: "I support Prime Minister Su."

Thirteen to two on the field.

Prince Gong Yi said: "To inform the Queen Mother, the new Imperial Army will still be named after the Eight Banners. In this way, the Eight Banners will be honored, the Eight Banners Army's backlash will not be so violent, and the difficulty of military reform will be greatly reduced."

The empress dowagers of the two palaces couldn't help but look at Su Yi, obviously trying to get him to nod.

"So this kind of drastic reform needs to be more stable. It doesn't matter if the actions are big, but the slogans should be as small as possible." Sushun said: "The louder the slogans, the harder it will be to move forward."

Suddenly, Prince Dun Yi said: "Master Su Yi, I want to ask. During the Nanyuan military drill, the ten men in your army have such strong combat effectiveness. Is it related to the weapons?"

After calming down, Yi Pei finally figured out this key point.

Su Yi said: "Yes, it has a huge relationship with the new rifle."

Yi Pei said: "So, the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners Army is not as weak as imagined. Your new army is not as strong as expected. It relies largely on new rifles, right?"

Su Yi said: "Yes."

Prince Dun Yi said: "So, as long as the Eight Banners Army undergoes brand-new training and is equipped with these new rifles, it will become stronger, right? Why do they have to take such drastic measures, abolish all of them, and not even retain their names?"

Su Yi said: "Prince Dun, speak freely. What you want to say can be said as clearly as possible."

Prince Dun Yi said: "So, you are relying on the benefits of new weapons. You are also opportunistic and caught us off guard, aren't you?"

Su Yi said slowly: "Prince Dun, did this new weapon fall from the sky? Isn't it considered part of the combat effectiveness?"

Prince Dun Yi said: "Just buy it from foreigners. Didn't you buy this new weapon from foreigners?"

Su Yi stared at his face and said slowly: "This new rifle is designed by me."

His voice was calm and low.

Everyone was shocked, was it...did you design it?

"I designed it." Su Yi's voice suddenly rose and he said: "This new continuous rifle was designed by me. It is the most advanced weapon in the world and can change the entire battle situation. It is an epoch-making weapon."

"But... I can't produce it. I can only hand it over to the British arsenal for production. I have to buy it back for thirty pounds."

"I still have many ideas for new weapons in my mind, but I don't dare to take them out."

"Why don't you take it out? Because I'm afraid that when the foreigners come out, they will turn around and attack us with these weapons."

"We can't make it ourselves."

"Why can't we build it? Ask your brains..."

"Because in your minds, you only have the Eight Banners and these outdated things."

"You keep saying that the new Imperial Army will still be called the Eight Banners, isn't it allowed?"

"Of course not. I just want to ask, how many years can a soldier serve? Seven or eight years is amazing."

"What about the new recruits? Since they are crowned under the Eight Banners, they must still be selected from among the bannermen, right?"

"If you want to build a powerful Imperial Army, you must absorb the power of billions of people, and you can no longer call it the Eight Banners."

"If you want to conquer the hearts of the people in the world and use all the people's power, you still can't bear the name of the Eight Banners."

"Otherwise, the selected soldiers will only become worse and worse, leaving several trillions of manpower unused, sticking to the name of the Eight Banners, and enclosing the territory to consolidate itself?"

Prince Dun Yipei pointed at Su Yi and said angrily: "Su Yi, you are also a bannerman. What do you mean by getting worse and worse? In your mind, are the bannermen so miserable?"

"Yes, it's so unbearable!" Su Yi roared angrily: "Everyone has turned into a loser!"

…………………………

The highest-level meeting on military reform broke up unhappily.

Moreover, it is already difficult to break through this issue.

Neither side would give in.

Then, a new argument arose.

The battle at Nanyuan Campus was not at all due to the incompetence of the Eight Banners Army, nor was it because of Su Yi's new army being too powerful, but because of the new rifles.

What kind of ability is it to rely entirely on the benefits of new weapons?

If you have the ability, give these new rifles to our Eight Banners Army. We will all hold the same weapons and try to fight again.

This feeling is all too familiar.

A complete failure, a humiliating failure, made this group of people wake up a little, feel ashamed, and want to cheer up a little.

But soon, they will find reasons to fail.

Then, lie down again.

Three minutes of heat.

Following the defeat on the Nanyuan battlefield, half of the Eight Banners soldiers felt humiliated and ashamed to continue the riot, so they retreated.

But... half of them stayed.

Continue to surround the palace.

It is clear that the struggle has entered a new stage.

These more than 10,000 people became new chess pieces and new tools for many Eight Banners ministers to put pressure on Su Yi.

Then, Prince Yi Pei of Dun went deep into this group of people and got two clear conditions.

The empress dowagers of the two palaces once again summoned more than a dozen central ministers for discussion.

"The Queen Mother, there are more than 10,000 Eight Banners soldiers outside who have put forward two conditions to Master Su Yi."

"The first condition is that the Eight Banners Beijing Camp can be abolished, but at least half of them must enter the new Imperial Army, and the positions of generals and officers cannot be reduced. Moreover, the newly trained Imperial Army must still bear the name of the Eight Banners."

"The second condition is that the demobilized Eight Banners soldiers must be paid a one-time payment of five years."

"If Lord Su Yi doesn't agree, let's have another duel."

"But this time, either Sir Su Yi's new army will use the original old weapons, or the Eight Banners soldiers will be given brand new continuous rifles."

Haha, is this a condition for more than 10,000 soldiers, or is it a condition for you, the nobles of the Qing Dynasty?

It's just that it's not easy for you to confront me directly, so let's speak out through the more than 10,000 people.

Su Yi said slowly: "Empress Dowager, have you seen it? As I said, once you start bargaining for any reform, once you start to give in, you will retreat step by step. With all your efforts, only the only one who can finally implement it is Three points of effort.”

"Prince Dun, it was agreed before that the Nanyuan Duel did not decide whether to disband the Eight Banners Army. However, it decided one thing. That is, if my new army wins, all Eight Banners soldiers will evacuate unconditionally. Evacuate.”

"Now three days have passed, and there are still more than 10,000 people surrounding the palace, and they still want to bargain."

"If I follow what you said and your habits, after the real military reform, will it be like this, changing orders day by day, retreating step by step, compromising step by step, and weighing step by step?"

Su Yi's voice was still calm, and he left Sanxitang directly and came outside the palace.

He clearly saw that all the Eight Banners soldiers who had a sense of honor and a sense of shame had left, and the more than 10,000 people left were all old fools.

A bad temper is hard to change.

The Eight Banners ministers behind these hoped that more than 10,000 people would surround the palace and put pressure on Su Yi, forcing Su Yi to compromise.

Military reforms can be carried out, but they must be based on their ideas.

The new Imperial Army is still mostly selected from among the bannermen. After training, it will still be named the Eight Banners.

Even for these Eight Banners ministers, they felt that this was a huge compromise and concession, and it was for the sake of the country.

On the surface, this is totally fine.

But Su Yi can foresee that if such a new military reform policy is really passed.

In the end, it will definitely be a pot of uncooked rice. What will come out in the end will still look different, and it will still be the old Army in its bones.

……………………

Outside the palace.

Looking at the dark crowd in front of me, there are countless people.

Su Yi looked up at the sky, feeling the scorching sun scorching her heart.

I desperately avoided resorting to the most violent means, but I tried my best.

Sure enough, there is no bloodless reform in this world.

Su Yi took an iron trumpet and was about to speak.

Suddenly, someone below shouted: "Sir Su Yi, what kind of skills do you have with your new rifles? Give us these new rifles and we can have another fight?"

"Yeah, let's fight again."

"One more fight."

"Master Su Yi, if you want to completely abolish the Eight Banners, what's wrong with the new army taking the name of the Eight Banners?"

"You still say you are not Dong Zhuo, and you also say you are not Cao Cao?"

"You lick the Han people's buttocks like this, and you have disgraced our banner people. Do you think Zeng Guofan and others will ignore you?"

Su Yi ignored these words and said slowly: "I'll give you two days, before twelve o'clock at noon the day after tomorrow, which is when the sun is at its strongest."

"If you don't evacuate and you continue to surround the palace, I will order a suppression."

"I'll give the order to shoot!"

"Don't say you didn't predict what you said!"

After Su Yi finished speaking, he turned and left.

Then, the more than 10,000 Eight Banners soldiers outside the palace exploded completely.

What? Want to shoot?

To suppress?

There are more than 10,000 of us, how dare you kill us all?

"Don't worry, everyone, he doesn't dare, Su Yi doesn't dare."

"If he had dared to shoot, he would have shot him long ago. Why should he wait until now?"

"If he dares to shoot without the will of the Queen Mother of the two palaces and the will of the imperial court, it is treason."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. If he threatens us, it means we are about to win. He wants to scare us off."

"Young and old men, don't be cowardly! Our ancestors are watching us in the sky. We are not doing this for ourselves, we are doing it for the country and the country of the Qing Dynasty."

"Yes, anyone who is a coward has no eggs and is a son of a bitch. Su Yi, a treacherous minister and traitor, wants to completely destroy the Eight Banners, unless he steps on our corpses."

……………………

The entire capital suddenly fell into an aura of terror.

Everyone is paying attention to one thing: whether Su Yi's 6,000 new troops in Tianjin have entered Beijing.

Once he starts to enter Beijing, I'm afraid he will suppress them with force.

Since these 6,000 people did not enter the capital, this forceful suppression was probably an act of intimidation.

As a result, Feige in Tianjin sent a message that Su Yi's 6,000 new troops were still in the military depot and had not entered Beijing.

The thoughts of many Eight Banners ministers suddenly became extremely complicated.

On the one hand, they were very afraid that Su Yi would actually carry out a forceful suppression, which would lead to countless casualties and the situation in the capital would fall into a very terrible situation.

On the other hand, they hoped that Su Yi would really suppress it.

In this way, Su Yi would be completely on the opposite side of all the bannermen.

Even if he wants to be Cao Cao in the future, no one will dare to follow him.

After the queen mothers of the two palaces heard about it, they immediately sent people to summon Su Yi to the palace to see him.

But Su Yi had already entered the military camp, saying that he was concerned about military matters, but please rest assured that the Queen Mother of the two palaces would completely solve the problem within two days and relieve the crisis of the palace being sieged.

……………………

Time passes minute by minute.

The most violent situation is getting closer and closer.

This is still the case here at the Yangtze River Estuary in Shanghai.

The confrontation between the foreign combined fleet and Su Yi's Yangtze River Fleet has lasted for more than two and a half months.

The risk of war is getting higher and higher.

Now, it has been more than two days since the month agreed by Su Yi and Bruce.

However, the order from London still did not arrive.

Minister Bruce already felt that he could not hold on any longer.

The French Minister, the Russian Minister, and the American Minister pressed him every day.

"Sir Bruce, you keep saying every day that there will be new orders coming from London. Where are the orders? I absolutely do not believe that London will harm the majesty of the British Empire for Su Yi."

"You said you would give us a month before, but we have given you more than a month. Now it has been several days, and you are still delaying. Your brother, Count Elgin, is not as weak as you."

"I really want to know what benefits Su Yi gave you in order to bribe you, so that you would not hesitate to betray the interests of the British Empire." Chief Taxation Department Li Tai said: "Mr. Minister, if this is really the case, then we will Very disappointed. There is no problem in seeking personal gain, but if you harm the interests of the empire, London will not let you go."

Suddenly, the Russian minister said: "Sir Bruce, I solemnly tell you. We can't delay it any longer, so even without you, we, the American fleet, and the French fleet will still choose to open fire."

"This is a sacred treaty signed. Our fleet must enter the Yangtze River."

Minister Bruce couldn't help but look at the French Minister.

The French minister said: "If I continue to be weak, His Majesty the Emperor will not let me go."

Bruce looked at the American minister and said: "Your country is undergoing a civil war. Do you still want to ignite a war thousands of miles away?"

American Minister Hua Ruohan said: "What we are engaged in is not a civil war, but the suppression of rebellion. In addition, the entire United States' position on the Qing side is completely consistent. The domestic war will not affect our decision-making on the Qing side at all."

In the combined fleet, the Russian ships are the smallest and almost symbolic.

However, Russia has the strongest fighting spirit.

Because everyone knew Su Yi's position. He wanted to deny the Aihun Treaty and not recognize the ceded lands.

Therefore, the Russians felt that they must use war to make Su Yi realize the reality and teach him a harsh lesson.

Not only do we want you to recognize the Qing-Russia-Beijing Treaty, we also want to take the opportunity to take away more Qing land from you.

If you want to slap Su Yi hard on the face, incompetent toughness is useless and will only bring more humiliating consequences.

However, Russia was unwilling to launch a war against the Qing Dynasty alone, as it would easily fall into strategic passivity, so it did everything possible to drag Britain, France, and the United States into the water.

Once a war breaks out at the mouth of the Yangtze River, the Russian army in Heilongjiang will continue to move south, and at the same time start a war against the Qing army in the far north, seizing a larger area of ​​land in the shortest possible time.

Five or six hundred thousand square kilometers cannot satisfy their appetite at all.

At least one million square kilometers.

Therefore, the Russian Minister has issued a secret order. At noon tomorrow, regardless of whether Minister Bruce agrees or not, the Russian warships will be the first to open fire.

Now the entire Yangtze River Estuary is covered with war clouds, and as long as there is a spark, it will explode.

Therefore, as long as the Russian ships open fire, the war will break out.

……………………

Nine o'clock the next morning.

A fleet of ships suddenly rushed into everyone's sight, with the flag of the British Empire hanging on it.

After more than a month of sailing, Basxali finally returned to Shanghai from London.

The British Minister Bruce breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it.

It's finally here.

If he doesn't come again, he really won't be able to hold on anymore.

Far away, Basiali stood on the bow of the ship, waving the flag desperately.

At the same time, the flag bearers on the battleship mast also waved flags desperately.

"The Queen has an order not to start a war!"

Ba Xiali knew that the period of his appearance was the most dangerous moment, so he did not wait for the meeting to take out London's order and waved flags from a distance.

On the Combined Fleet side, many people held telescopes and saw the semaphore.

When the commander on the Russian ship saw this scene, he secretly felt bad.

I wonder what deal Su Yi made with the British? Did he really wait for the order from London?

Not like this!

War must break out, and we must take the opportunity to drag several countries into the water.

Can't wait until twelve o'clock noon.

The commander of the Russian ship made the most difficult choice, and then gritted his teeth and said: "Fire, fire, fire..."

The officer next to him trembled: "Colonel, the time has not come yet. We are the weakest among the combined fleet."

"Fire, fire!" said the Russian commander: "This is the last chance, fire immediately and start a war!"

"yes!"

With an order.

"Boom, boom, boom..." The Russian warship opened fire directly.

The shells drew an arc and whistled towards Su Ye's Yangtze River Fleet.

Suddenly, everyone was stunned.

And the commander of the Yangtze River Fleet, Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang Xu Youren, was slightly startled.

Is this... is this war really going to break out?

Can the country afford such a war?

However, he quickly made a choice.

"All fleets, don't attack British ships, don't attack American ships, don't attack French ships!"

"Attack Russian ships exclusively!"

"Fire, fire!"

With Xu Youren's order, several main battleships of the Yangtze River Fleet aimed at the Russian battleships in the combined fleet.

Fire fiercely!

…………………………

At the same time!

The capital has also entered the final moment.

Su Ye's 6,000 new troops in Tianjin never entered Beijing.

However, the 16,000-strong alliance of the seven southern provinces led by Zhang Guoliang and Feng Zicai began to be on full alert.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Su Ye's 3,000 new troops marched towards the palace in an orderly manner.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Three thousand new soldiers appeared outside the palace.

They were arranged in neat rows.

"Sit down!"

With an order, the three thousand new soldiers sat down in a neat row.

Then, they waited quietly.

The seventeen or eight thousand people surrounding the palace were panicked at first, and then saw that the army sent by Su Ye was only three thousand people.

If you want to suppress, shouldn't you send out more than ten thousand troops?

Next, some of the more than ten thousand Eight Banner soldiers began to curse.

Su Ye's three thousand new soldiers did not talk back.

The more than ten thousand Eight Banner soldiers began to throw stones, and Su Ye's three thousand new soldiers still did not react.

During the whole process, even Su Ye did not show up.

But the whole atmosphere seemed extremely suffocating.

Strangely, no decree was issued from the palace.

Just let time pass.

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

Some of the more than ten thousand Eight Banner soldiers finally couldn't bear this fear and started running.

More and more people ran away.

The new army on Su Ye's side did not stop them and continued to sit quietly.

At this time, it was still a time for both sides to compete with each other's will.

Many Eight Banners ministers were unwilling to give in to military reforms and continued to encourage these Eight Banners soldiers to sit in front of the palace.

They felt that once Su Ye opened fire, he would become the opposite of all the bannermen. It would be extremely difficult to make further progress in the future.

But for Su Ye, this most violent method was not bad.

He had to serve the country first, and then himself. And in the future, he would ascend to the throne based on the prestige of the whole country, not your Manchu clan and surname.

Although this most violent situation would fall into violent turmoil, the road to reform could be more thorough.

Time continued to pass.

There were still five minutes until noon.

At this time, there were only about 10,000 people in front of the palace, and the rest had run away.

But these 10,000 people were the most unscrupulous Eight Banners soldiers. At this time, their minds were filled with the words of those big men and the respectful teachings of the elders in the clan.

"Su Ye would never dare to open fire. He has always pursued justice. If he opens fire, the justice he has insisted on will be completely destroyed."

"Once he opens fire on the bannermen, who will support him in the future? For his political ambitions, he will never open fire."

"Once you hold on to the end, you will be the heroes of the Eight Banners, and each of you will be rewarded."

"Give half of the resettlement fee first, and the other half after the matter is done."

Five, four, three, two, one!

Time is up!

Su Ye came out and said slowly: "You surrounded the palace, disturbed the two empress dowagers, and disturbed the emperor. You are guilty of heinous crimes!"

"Open fire!"

With Su Ye's order.

Three thousand new soldiers stood up directly and raised their rifles.

Fire fiercely!

Still lined up and shot.

Three thousand new soldiers, three-stage shooting.

Keep moving forward and keep firing.

In great horror, this group of the last Eight Banners soldiers fell down in rows and died.

Su Ye's 3,000 new soldiers just crushed past, marching forward without hesitation.

The open space in front of the entire palace was immediately flooded with blood and corpses were everywhere.

……………………………………

Note: I finally arrived 20 minutes earlier today. Can you continue to give me the monthly ticket? Gaodian will continue to work hard, thank you all.