Chapter 276 Ambition
Chapter 276 Ambition
"Your Highness, I, Shao Quanzhong, pay my respects to you, Your Majesty, and to your mother, the Empress Dowager, the Holy Mother Empress Dowager."
"Shao Aiqing, please stand up and take a seat."
The Empress Dowager Cixi's cold voice came from behind the curtain.
Ordinary people don't have the honor of being given a seat. Only veteran officials who have served for three dynasties or those who are physically disabled can be given a seat. Shao Quanzhong has made outstanding contributions, and the two Empress Dowagers are trying to win him over.
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness."
Shao Quanzhong stood up and the young eunuch brought a soft seat. Shao Quanzhong put half of his butt on the seat, maintaining a respectful expression.
Since he didn't plan to rebel right away, he should still maintain a respectful attitude. There was no point in pretending to be so arrogant and letting others use it as evidence to accuse him of being a tyrant.
Ci'an's anxious voice suddenly came from behind the dark curtain, "Sister, what's wrong with you?"
"No, it's okay."
"When you came back from Shunyi yesterday, I noticed that you didn't look well. You must have been tired and haven't recovered yet. Ping'er, help sister Lan'er go back to the back room to rest."
Shao Quanzhong hadn't even sat still when something happened behind the curtain. It looked urgent, similar to a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular emergency.
Shao Quanzhong was very calm. He thought that nothing would happen to the West Buddha, and even if the East Buddha died, she would not die, as she had a long life ahead of her.
Shao Quanzhong lowered his head, and out of the corner of his eyes he only saw two slim figures. Ping'er helped her staggering master back to the inner room of the east warm pavilion to rest.
Uh, I was just about to ask Mr. Xi for the person, why did he run away? Forget it, I'll talk to him when I have another chance.
The two Empress Dowagers became Ci'an's own. Ci'an had her own ideas, but she was not as good at speaking as the Empress Dowager Cixi and loved to show up in public.
Fortunately, this kind of reception was just a formality to express the court's favor. Ci'an encouraged her a few words, Shao Quanzhong presented her with a gift, and then left.
Now Ci'an and Cixi live in the East and West Warm Pavilions of the Yangxin Palace respectively. Ci'an is the boss, and she chooses to stay in the East Warm Pavilion when meeting with ministers and discussing matters with the Military Affairs Council. Every day when there is a meeting, Cixi has to go to the boss's side to work. There is no other way because of the difference in status.
Because of her sudden "bare health", Cixi was temporarily helped by Ping'er into Empress Dowager Ci'an's bedroom to rest for a while. Ping'er's heart was pounding as she supported her.
She saw Shao Quanzhong coming out of his old residence yesterday and thought that her master knew Shao Quanzhong's identity. But now it seems that her master has just discovered it.
Cixi was just too shocked, it was nothing serious and she would be fine after a while.
Looking around the furnishings in Ci'an's bedroom, Ci'an was relatively low-key and didn't like extravagance. There were fewer ornaments than in the West Warm Pavilion. But every piece was the best, and the West Warm Pavilion couldn't compare.
Although Cixi was rich, she did not dare to compete with Ci'an. When she saw these high-end goods given by the previous emperor, she felt very uncomfortable.
After a while, Shao Quanzhong left. Ci'an returned to her bedroom and looked at Cixi with concern. "My sister is not feeling well. You don't have to go to the military review later."
Cixi loved this kind of exposure. Ci'an asked her to rest out of concern, but she did not appreciate it and felt that Ci'an was taking the opportunity to suppress her.
But she didn't dare to show it, so she lowered her head and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister."
With the help of Ping'er, he returned to the West Warm Pavilion, and the resentment in his eyes could not be hidden.
Ping'er looks like Cixi when she was young, and is also an expert in palace fighting. Unfortunately, she entered the palace too late and died before she could meet Emperor Xianfeng.
Now he is highly valued by Empress Dowager Cixi and has a very good temper with his master. He can read Empress Dowager Cixi's expression and know what her master is thinking.
"Master, if you keep enduring like this, when will it end? Shao Quanzhong is leading tens of thousands of troops into the city. Master, you have such a powerful backer, why do you still have to kowtow and listen to their orders?"
Cixi's eyes sparkled and her face was gloomy. After being reminded by Ping'er, Cixi's ambition suddenly grew uncontrollably.
After pondering for a long time, he said, "I just don't know if Shao Quanzhong will rebel. I will find an opportunity to summon him alone and test him. As long as he is willing to continue to be a minister of the Qing Dynasty, this matter can be done."
………….
At one o'clock in the afternoon, Empress Dowager Cixi brought the emperor to Chengtian Gate.
The First Class Diligent Official, the new foreman of the Grand Council, and the Grand Tutor Qiao Songnian accompanied him, and Shao Quanzhong, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Zhidong followed behind the Grand Tutor.
A little further away, envoys from the 24 countries that came to the court were invited to the city tower to watch the ceremony, while the four veteran envoys from Britain, France, the United States, and Russia were closer.
With the order from Grand Tutor Qiao, the military parade began.
The first group to be reviewed was the oldest Hunan Army.
After more than ten years of fighting, the Hunan Army was already exhausted and in a state of decline. However, most of the 300,000 men had been dismissed, and the remaining 25,000 elite soldiers were still quite capable.
The leader of the team was Liu Jintang, who had made outstanding achievements in the suppression of the Nian Rebellion. He was a provincial governor and an inspector, and was a recently rising star in the Hunan Army.
The Hunan Army were all dressed in "Yong" clothes and had silk scarves wrapped around their heads. Although their clothes looked old, their weapons had been replaced with breech-loading rifles produced in Hailing.
When the troops reached the reviewing position, Liu Jintang raised his saber and the Hunan Army shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison, with their voices shaking the heavens.
Zeng Guofan twirled his beard and smiled, and envoys from various countries all nodded.
These 25,000 men are all genuine veterans who have fought in hundreds of battles. Regardless of whether their formation is neat or not, from the guns they carry and the indifference in their eyes, anyone who knows the business can tell at a glance that their combat effectiveness is no weaker than that of Europe's top troops.
The American Minister Anson Burlingame sighed, "The Hunan Army was the only modern army in the Far East back then, and it is still as powerful as ever."
After the infantry came the cavalry and artillery. Before the American Civil War, there were only 16,000 regular troops. The Hunan Army is now equipped with equipment no less than that of the US Army. With 25,000 troops like this, only a powerful country can afford to support them.
After the Hunan Army came the Chu Army. When the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was suppressed, Zuo Zongtang had 40,000 troops under his command. Now he only retains 5,000 elite soldiers. Although the number is small, they are the old foundation of the Chu Army.
Zuo Zongtang’s way of training soldiers was different from others. Military technology was secondary. Training soldiers should first build up their courage. Therefore, these 5,000 Chu soldiers were full of vigor and sharpness.
French Minister Lan Meng shook his head proudly, "The Chu Army was trained by our French military advisers. The French Army is the best in the world. Zuo Gong's army has reached the level of the French Army and is second to none in the Far East."
The British Minister to France, Sir John Alcock, smiled and said nothing. You French are out of date. You will be slapped in the face soon.
Zeng Guofan kept a low profile, most of the Hunan Army was disbanded, and the Chu Army was small in number. Now was the time for Li Hongzhang to show his prowess.
The Shanghai Army reached 30,000 people. Shanghai was a wealthy place, and the foreign rifle team was annexed. The Shanghai Army was well-equipped and had a lot of artillery. Liu Mingchuan led the team himself, and the soldiers all had an unruly style.
It had been a long time since 60,000 people had passed by, and except for the envoys from Britain, France, Russia and the United States, all the envoys from other countries were terrified.
With these 60,000 people, the Qing Dynasty was already strong enough to be called a great power. It was previously unable to flex its muscles due to the Taiping and Nian Rebellions. We were right to come.
The appearance of the Self-Strengthening Army made everyone's eyes light up. The uniforms looked comfortable. Although there were only 3,000 people, they were in neat formation and all wore new uniforms.
The officers all wear their military ranks and the soldiers have shining bayonets. There is no difference between this and the elite troops in Europe, right?
The Huai Army that defeated the Russians probably looked like this, right?
Amidst everyone's anticipation, the Huai Army finally entered the scene.
(End of this chapter)