Chapter 333 Creating God
Chapter 333 Creating God
On the ninth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign, Emperor Tongzhi issued an edict of remorse, announcing that he had violated ancestral rules by issuing an imperial decree without the approval of the Grand Council and the Empress Dowager, and went to the Taimiao to kowtow and apologize.
The Grand Council sent a royal letter to Shao Quanzhong, saying that the Qing Dynasty was now at peace and it was time to share the peace, prosper the economy and promote industrialization.
The joint exercise is very time-consuming for the country, and the naval review may easily touch the sensitive points of friendly countries. Prince Rui is requested to cancel it as appropriate.
Ding Baozhen acted rashly, so he was suspended from his post but retained his post to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.
The emperor and the Grand Council gave in, but Shao Quanzhong did not take it too far, thinking that this was enough face. He accepted the letter from the Grand Council and sent a telegram to recall the Nanyang Navy.
Originally, this matter was over.
The problem was that the current telegraph was a wired telegraph and could not reach the fleet on the move. The fleet had not received Shao Quanzhong's order and was still advancing eastward along the Guangdong coast.
The next day, the Grand Council sent an urgent letter to the court.
Shao Quanzhong suppressed Du Wenxiu's rebellion, restored order in Yunnan, and managed the southwestern vassal states with remarkable results. He communicated with the British, Americans, and Prussia, and made great contributions to the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty. He was promoted to Prince Heshuo Rui.
At the same time, the imperial court used part of the already built railways and cooperated with the post stations to express delivery of 800 miles, and sent a purse that was said to be embroidered by the Empress Dowager herself.
The purse was still on the way, and the telegram sent in the tone of Cixi had already reached Shao Quanzhong.
This telegram "love letter" was written in parallel sentences and quoted from classics, including the Book of Songs, Qu Yuan's poems and Han Dynasty prose. It was obviously written by a ghostwriter from the Hanlin Academy, and Shao Quanzhong did not understand a word of it.
Shao Quanzhong thanked the emperor and promised to obey the imperial order. The fleet passed by Shantou to replenish coal and water, and received Shao Quanzhong's order to turn back.
In fact, some of the merits mentioned in the Grand Council's letter had already been awarded, and the remaining ones were not even enough for the Prince of Jin.
Because An Dehai was killed, this time Shao Quanzhong's long-distance game with the court and the old warlords was a reward for nothing, and he was unexpectedly promoted to prince. An Dehai's death was worthy of it.
Ambassador to the United States Zeng Guoquan made a special call to report to Shao Quanzhong on the cooperation with the American barbarians. He also sent back American specialties to Shao Quanzhong to greet him as a junior.
Liu Jintang, a famous general of the Hunan Army, sent a telegram to Shao Quanzhong to report on the training situation of the Hunan Army after it was equipped with new bolt-action rifles.
After this fright, the little emperor didn't dare to go out of the palace for a long time. He stayed in the palace obediently waiting for his wedding.
My goodness, you asked me to go to Dagukou to review the ships. The probability of me accidentally falling into the water and dying is as high as 99%. Even my younger brother, the regent, is ready. Do you think I don’t know what you mean?
The little emperor cried and ran to the West Warm Pavilion to kowtow to his mother, begging her to give Shao Ni a purse and play the emotional card. "I'm sorry, damn father Xianfeng, my child's life is more important."
Tian Xing watched this farce in the Qing Dynasty officialdom, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Second brother, since it will take a long time for the new troops in various places to be trained, and it will take even longer for them to be infiltrated by the Hongmen and the Tiandihui, and the time for rebellion has not yet come, you might as well really help Jiliang take the position, and he will be obedient and easier to control, right?"
Shao Quanzhong shook his head and said, "Jiliang will definitely become the emperor without my help. The little emperor will not live long if he tries to commit suicide this way."
"If I really do something that deposes and enthrones, I will have a bad reputation. I am still a junior protector and have not yet become a grand tutor. As long as my adoptive father is alive, I will not give him face and rebel."
"Brother, don't worry about the Tartar court. This matter is God's will. Come on, let's go watch a show and see what tricks Ping'er is up to."
In the Governor-General's Mansion of Guangdong and Guangxi, Ping'er brought the newly-formed Huai Army Song and Dance Troupe to report on their performance to Shao Quanzhong.
Ping'er was so ambitious that she even refused to be Shao Quanzhong's secretary. She started planning when Shao Quanzhong returned from a visit to St. Petersburg, and immediately started implementing the plan when she returned to Hailing. It took nearly a year, and it was finally time to report the results.
Maria had performed great service as a bodyguard when Shao Quanzhong visited the United States. Isabel was appointed as Shao Quanzhong's secretary because she could speak several foreign languages. She was close to him and must have been valued by him. Ping'er had nothing to show for herself except her beauty. Seeing that the position of Queen Xigong was slipping away from her, she became more motivated.
Ping'er, wearing a military uniform, was full of vigor and vitality, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Isabel behind Shao Quanzhong. She was ready to use this achievement to turn things around in one fell swoop, crush Maria and Isabel, and firmly sit on the fourth throne in the harem.
Shao Quanzhong thought that Ping'er was just trying to get the Huiban troupe to perform for his subordinates to boost morale. It was okay, at least she had something to do and was not a waste who was eating for free in the Shao residence.
He underestimated Apple's abilities.
Ping'er was not just a person who performed a few Huiban operas; she was a top talent among the young talents in Yangzhou, or in modern terms, a big name in the entertainment industry.
In this world of stage art, would a big-name star be satisfied with just performing two plays?
Shao Quanzhong sat firmly in his seat, and the show began. The first prologue was not an Huiban opera, but a large-scale musical and dance drama "Prince Rui's Battle Music".
All the performers were strong men, holding the latest bolt-action rifles and practicing to the rhythm of the band's accompaniment.
The troops lined up in formation and fought with bayonets, which was something that even the regular army would nod their heads to. After the exercise was completed, they even rolled out a few four-pound light field guns and fired a salute, ending the prologue.
Wow, Ping'er is quite something. She has been my secretary for a while and she even knows a lot about the Huai Army's drills and training.
Shao Quanzhong became interested and continued watching.
The following is the Huiban opera, but not a single scene is traditional, all are newly written by Ping'er.
The curtain opens, and the first paragraph reads, "Four heroes from Xiaotangshan swore brotherhood, and the hero made his first achievement in the battle of Zhenjiang."
The first scene was "Xiaotangshan". The actor who played Shao Quanzhong was extremely brave, fighting against 200 Mongolian fleeing soldiers, stepping over a flock of sheep like a tiger, as if he was in an empty space.
The passing heroes, Wudang sword master Tian Xing and Bagua sect disciple Hai Qing, bowed their heads in worship. The four heroes became sworn brothers and vowed to jointly revitalize China.
In the second scene, "Sending Wenxiu Thousands of Miles Away", the actor who plays Shao Quanzhong looks like Zhao Kuangyin, chivalrous and righteous, with the world in his heart.
The third scene, "Eliminating Evil in Jingjiang", is all about fighting. Shao Quanzhong fights against 600 minions alone, and finally kills the rebel leader Yang Yong with his last sword.
Later there were "Dutian Temple", "Shao Quanzhong's Defeat of the Foreign Rifle Team", "Rescuing Wang Si with Righteousness", "Battle of Qiwei", "Revenge at Zhenhu", "Entering Guazhou on a Snowy Night", until the "Defeat of Hong Renxuan" ended the Zhenjiang Campaign.
Ping'er actually made up ten scenes for this paragraph.
The show lasted until midnight. When Shao Quanzhong asked around, he was surprised to find out that there were three more sections, namely "Dream of Spring in Nanjing", "The Great Western Expedition" and "Terrifying the Western Barbarians", and finally a large-scale music and dance epic "The Rise of Prince Heshuo Rui" as the ending.
We can’t finish the performance today, we have to perform for another three days.
Now Shao Quanzhong really looked at Apple with new eyes. This ability was not just entertainment, it was publicity.
"Ping'er, I appoint you as the Publicity Director of the Huai Army, with the rank of Major General. You will be fully responsible for representing the Huai Army's image around the world."
(End of this chapter)