Chapter 435: Single-handedly hold up the sky to protect the Qing Dynasty?

Chapter 435: Single-handedly hold up the sky to protect the Qing Dynasty?

Chapter 435: Single-handedly hold up the sky to protect the Qing Dynasty?
Ci'an was extremely grateful. Cixi rolled her eyes and said, "You call Zaiyi Jiliang. Are you planning to make him the emperor of the Han people? What about us bannermen?"

Shao Quanzhong shook his head and said, "Jiliang must take my Han surname, but his eldest son can take the surname Aisin-Gioro in the future. Jiliang is the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, so of course the Qing Dynasty must be preserved."

"Master, we have wronged you before. You are the loyal minister and benefactor of the Qing Dynasty."

Ci'an turned around and said, "Come here, let's go to Yingzhou Island and serve the master well."

The four beauties from the harem came out together, followed by Ping'er who was chased here to reflect on her actions.

"Report! It's bad, Grand Tutor Qiao has passed away!"

After hearing the bad news, Shao Quanzhong certainly had no intention of going to Yingzhou Island.

Master Qiao devoted his whole life to the Qing Dynasty, but unfortunately died of illness due to overwork. Sixty years old is not considered old, but it is not considered early death in this era.

The court held a state funeral for Grand Tutor Qiao. A mourning tent was erected in the Prince Rui's mansion, and Shao Quanzhong and his filial son Qiao Lianbao stood guard together to bid farewell to their adoptive father.

The New Army rebels who were besieging the capital city declared a ceasefire and sent dozens of representatives to pay their respects to Grand Tutor Qiao.

Master Qiao was the first principal of the Baoding Army Officers School, and most of the senior officers of the new army outside the capital were his disciples.

There were no senior military officers participating in the Xi'an Uprising, so the New Army rebels had no choice but to elect Chen Siqi as their leader.

As rebellions broke out in various places, the situation gradually became clear.

The Qing Dynasty's rule in various places collapsed rapidly like an avalanche. The Qing Dynasty still had many loyal officials, and 328 officials died for their country, including 213 Manchus, 90 Han, 16 Mongolians, and 9 Han army bannermen.

The Huai Army's territory was not in chaos, but the Huai Army only controlled five provinces, and the only inland provinces that joined the Southeast Mutual Protection were Fujian, Zhejiang and Shandong.

The situation in other provinces has completely reversed. The Han new army has mastered new weapons and has become more combat-ready. The Qing court has no hope.

Then more senior officers joined the rebellion. The main force of the new army attacking the capital was actually commanded by the regular military academy students in Baoding, otherwise they would not have been able to defeat the bannermen armed forces of the four towns.

Grand Tutor Qiao, a prestigious figure in both the Qing court and the New Army, died at this critical moment. The Qing court was truly sad.

They suddenly felt that the sky above them had changed. Could Shao Quanzhong, the unrivaled loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty, really rely on the power of the five provinces of the Huai Army to preserve the Qing Dynasty?
Three days later, filial son Qiao Lianbao and son Qiao Youzhi carried the coffin and sent Master Qiao to Xianglinzhuang, the Qiao family cemetery that he had chosen during his lifetime for burial.

The new army outside the city made way, and the coffin was sent to Hailing by special train.

Then, another piece of bad news came. Ding Gongchen, the director of Hailing Arsenal and a veteran military expert of the Qing Dynasty, passed away.

Ding Gongchen was also a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty. As the Qing Dynasty's talents gradually withered, Shao Quanzhong looked up at the sky, thinking that the times were changing.

Shao Quanzhong wore mourning for his adoptive father, and then went to the Taimiao to pay homage to the spirit tablet of the young Emperor Tongzhi.

Although Emperor Tongzhi had an absurd private life, he is generally highly regarded.

Emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne at a young age and reigned for thirteen years, ruling the country with ease.

There are two Empress Dowagers behind the scenes, and outside there are ministers from the Grand Council managing government affairs, and there is also Prince Rui, the white jade pillar that supports the Qing Dynasty, to support it.

During the reign of Emperor Tongzhi, the Qing Dynasty wiped out the Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Rebellion, marched west to eliminate the Ma Hualong rebels, and defeated the old enemy, the Russians.

Our Great Qing Dynasty was unified, the seas were peaceful and the rivers were calm. During the thirteen years, the national strength increased rapidly, and the Tongzhi Restoration was genuine.

France was defeated by the Qing Dynasty, and the Ottoman Empire disintegrated. The Qing Dynasty transformed from a weak country that was bullied by the great powers to a top power.

As soon as Emperor Tongzhi passed away, the situation suddenly changed drastically. All the knowledgeable people among the Bannermen sighed and felt it was a pity that the holy emperor died at such an early age.

If the Qing Dynasty had maintained a wise ruler in power, with Shao Quanzhong and other famous ministers assisting it, the future would have been limitless. Such a wise ruler died too early.

Shao Quanzhong's visit to the tablet of Emperor Tongzhi was a signal to the outside world: I, Shao Quanzhong, am a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty. I will not rebel as a minister and leave a stain on history. I want to protect the reputation of the Qing Dynasty.

Seeing Shao Quanzhong's performance, the Manchu nobles all gave him a thumbs up.

A loyal minister is known in times of trouble. Shao Quanzhong is absolutely loyal to the Qing Dynasty. Many people have slandered Prince Rui for being domineering before. If anyone slanders Prince Rui now, I will be the first to disobey!
However, the rule of the Qing Dynasty in various places has collapsed, and only the capital city is left under its rule. Can Shao Quanzhong really turn the tide by himself?

Is the Huai Army going to fight the New Army? The New Army's power is all over the country, and it is completely incomparable to the original rebellion.

Amid the concerns of the bannermen, Shao Quanzhong ended the series of memorial activities.

On May 1875, 5, Shao Quanzhong invited representatives of the new army outside the city to enter Prince Rui's palace to start peace talks.

Fifteen representatives of the New Army came, including representatives from Kokand, Ili, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Taiyuan, Kaifeng, Baoding, Changsha, Wuchang, Chengdu, Kunming, Guiyang, Fengtian, and Changchun, plus Tian Xing who was present.

Chen Siqi, the first rebel, did not come. He felt that he was a coward and followed the enemy, and was ashamed of Shao Quanzhong's cultivation. Anyway, the situation of the new army was very good later, and there was no need for him to come forward as the first rebel.

Chen Siqi stayed in Xi'an and did not dare to come to see Shao Quanzhong. The representative of the Xi'an New Army was Li Zhanchun, the division commander of the Self-Strengthening Army, who was also the chief negotiator nominated by the Literary Society for this peace talk. On the Qing court side, the chief negotiator was Zhang Siwen appointed by Shao Quanzhong. Behind him, Shao Quanzhong and all members of the Grand Council were present.

Li Zhanchun stated at the outset, "Our literary society follows the Hongmen tradition, upholds the Ming dynasty, drives out the Tartars, and restores China. Justice is on our side."

"We demand that the Qing emperor abdicate and the bannermen withdraw from the border areas. We demand that the Han people's clothing be restored, a Han emperor be elected, a constitutional monarchy be established, the country be enriched and the military be strengthened, so that China can rise and become a world power."

Zhang Siwen smiled and knocked on the table. "Do you follow the Ming Dynasty? Is there anyone with the surname Zhu in your new army? Or do you want to find a descendant of the Zhu family and let him be the emperor?"

Li Zhanchun was well prepared. "We, the Literature Society, are rebelling to serve the country, not for personal gain. Chief Commander Zhang, you hold the seals of five countries, and we know that your Fenian Society is protecting the monarchy in France and Bulgaria."

"The Huai Army is the most powerful army in the world. If the Huai Army and the New Army engage in a war, China will be plunged into a long-term civil war. Therefore, we decided to unite with the Huai Army and work together for great things."

"Marshal Shao's contribution to China is well known, and his prestige in China is unparalleled. Our literary society is fighting against the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty in order to revive China. We don't necessarily need the descendants of the Zhu family to rule the country. We can recognize Shao as the new emperor of China."

"The Literary Society and the Finnish Society have different political views. They can legally compete in parliament to decide the national policy of the new dynasty."

Everyone looked at Shao Quanzhong behind Zhang Siwen. The suggestion of the literature club was full of sincerity, giving the throne to the Shao family. As long as Shao Quanzhong nodded, the whole world would be ruled by the Shao family.

Among all the ministers in the Grand Council, Yung Wing nodded frequently, as the suggestions of the Literature Society coincided with his ideas.

It was not Yung Wing's goal to make the Shaw family rule the country and his daughter the queen. But it was Yung Wing's long-cherished wish to unify the country, establish a constitutional monarchy, develop industrialization, and make the country rich and strong.

Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang looked at each other with mysterious expressions and neither expressed their opinion.

Prince Chun, Ronglu, Baojun and Shen Guifen were all anxious.

Can Shao Quanzhong resist the temptation of becoming emperor?

He just didn't want to bear the stigma of usurping the throne, so he didn't take the throne himself and let Zai Yi change his surname to Shao and become the emperor of the Han people. Then the Bannermen would have to leave anyway, and the Qing Dynasty would have perished, wouldn't it?
Prince Chun couldn't help but said, "Prince Rui, you must promise to protect the Qing Dynasty..."

Shao Quanzhong looked back at Prince Chun and nodded, "That's right, Prince Chun, please be patient."

He turned around and looked at Li Zhanchun with a smile, "What you said about enriching the country and strengthening the army, making China rise and become a world power, is exactly what I have been working hard for."

"However, I am a minister of the Qing Dynasty. I cannot rebel no matter what. During this peace talk, my principle is that the Qing emperor cannot abdicate."

"Also, if I have the final say, constitutional monarchy is unacceptable."

"If I really became emperor, I would not be able to accomplish anything if I had to listen to parliament's waffling."

"Right now, the war in Europe is raging, and the great powers are consuming each other. This is a great opportunity for China to seize the opportunity and rise."

"If China cannot move in unison during this rare opportunity and gets caught up in the vortex of constitutionalism and parliamentary wrangling, then we will miss the opportunity and we will all become sinners of China for all eternity."

"So, constitutionalism is fine, but it can't be implemented now. Wait until China becomes a world leader, and you can do whatever you want."

"Now we in China need one voice to have the final say, to concentrate all our strength and move forward at a rapid pace."

Shao Quanzhong put forward his bottom line. Li Zhanchun turned back and discussed with the representatives of the new army for a long time, "I'm sorry, the Qing emperor must abdicate and the parliament must be established. These two are our bottom line."

"If Marshal Shao insists on your bottom line, then we can't talk. See you on the battlefield!"

The two sides had just been talking for less than half an hour when the talks seemed to be on the verge of breaking down.

Did the Huai Army really want to use force to protect the Qing Dynasty and engage in a large-scale civil war with the New Army?
Seeing that the representatives of the New Army were about to leave, Zhang Zhidong, who had been calm all along, stood up and said, "Wait a minute, everyone, please don't leave."

Li Zhanchun rolled his eyes. "Why, does the Qing government still want to detain us negotiating representatives? I'm telling you, it's useless."

"We have 260,000 new soldiers, and we are filled with talented people. Since the fifteen of us dare to come, we are not afraid of death."

Zhang Zhidong smiled and shook his head, "I think both sides have the common goal of enriching the country, strengthening the army and revitalizing China, so we can talk."

"I have a suggestion that can satisfy the common needs of both parties."

Except for Shao Quanzhong and Zhang Siwen who were smiling, everyone else was stunned.

The conflict between the two parties is simply unreconcilable. No matter how capable you are, Zhang Zhidong, can you come up with terms that satisfy both parties?

Yes, we can!

What does it mean to be an unparalleled national talent, what does it mean to be the third place in the imperial examination, and what does it mean to be the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang?

Zhang Zhidong put his hands together and said, "Please sit down and listen to my advice before deciding whether to stay or go."

(End of this chapter)