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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 414: Discussing Politics on the Screen

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    As expected by Xingzhen, on the third day, An Dehai from the imperial dining room was the first to report that someone had secretly put saffron in Xu Jia's stew.  After Xingzhen learned about it, she was very angry. Sure enough, someone wanted to kill two birds with one stone against herself and Xu Jia's family. Moreover, Xu Jia's family was about to give birth. At this time, even Xu Jia's life would be in danger under Saffron.

    At that time, Xingzhen summoned Cunyou, the minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was staying in Beijing, and informed him of the matter and ordered him to investigate it strictly.  After Cunyou learned about it, he did not dare to neglect it. At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began a strict investigation. The seven divisions, three courtyards, the minister's room, and the eunuchs and maids of each palace were all investigated one by one, causing a lot of chaos.  In the end, the eunuch Fang Gonggong, the leader of the Jingshifang, committed suicide out of fear of the crime. More than ten eunuchs and maids under his command were implicated. Most of the eunuchs and maids under his command were beaten to death with a stick, and the rest were sentenced to exile or detention.  But it's a pity that once Eunuch Fang died, no one knew who was the mastermind behind it, and the clues stopped here.

    Xingzhen doesn¡¯t have that much energy to defend herself day and night. She uses thunderous means to frighten everyone in the palace, letting those behind the scenes know that with her in the palace, they are already on guard and don¡¯t dare to commit such a vicious attack again.  Sure enough, everyone in the palace was extremely careful, and Xu Jia was also accompanied by a full-time imperial physician. Everything that was put into the mouth was carefully inspected and inspected three times before Xu Jia was allowed to take it.

    After eliminating the conspiracy inside and outside the palace, Xingzhen also received a more difficult news these days. Two French missionaries were beaten to death by local people in Guangxi for preaching. Immediately afterwards, the Yaluo incident also occurred in Guangzhou.  The incident was similar to the dispute, but the protagonist ship in this incident was a merchant ship named Nissan.

    The memorial of Ye Mingchen, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and Minister of Commerce of the Five Countries, stated that the British and French barbarians were quite angry about this incident. Ye Mingchen had tried his best to deal with the British and French, but the British and French changed their normal behavior and insisted on making the matter bigger.

    Xingzhen naturally knew that this incident was the trigger of the Second Opium War.  Moreover, the incident was much more serious than in history. Two missionaries were killed in France this time. Napoleon III, an emperor who embraced the Catholic Church, would definitely not let it go.  This time the Nissan incident was even more serious. The officers and soldiers of the Qing navy who inspected the merchant ship did not know what was going on. They burned the British flag in public. The British Consul in Guangzhou, Parkes, was really furious.

    After Prince Gong discussed with Sushun and others, they decided to fly to Xianfeng in Chengde. Sushun did not accompany him to Chengde this time. Xianfeng still kept Sushun in the capital.  Checking and balancing Prince Gong is a common practice.

    Xianfeng¡¯s edict came back very quickly, and he informed the two of them that they should first ask Concubine Yi before the foreign affairs of Britain and France.  Let the two of them discuss the charter with Concubine Yi before reporting.  Prince Gong was naturally secretly happy, but Su Shun was not.  Yin and Yang said a lot of nonsense.  Yi? ignored him and only ordered him to obey the order.  Xingzhen also had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. She was happy that Xianfeng had far more trust in her than Cixi in history, but she was worried because Xianfeng was a loser.

    Xingzhen was deeply worried about Ye Mingchen's handling methods.  Although Ye Mingchen is good at Tai Chi, this incident is very serious, and Ying and France cannot be so patient, and Ye Mingchen refuses to compensate or apologize.  Simply promising to release the captured crew of the Nissan and hand over the murderer of the two missionaries in Guangxi was obviously far from satisfying the appetites of Britain and France.

    Sure enough, before Yi? and Sushun could quarrel over a charter, on the third day, the Humen Fort in Guangzhou was captured by the British army, and the British fleet began to bombard the city of Guangzhou.  When the news reached the capital, Yi? and Sushun argued endlessly. Sushun advocated tough treatment. If the Yi people dared to lead troops to attack Guangzhou, they would immediately order the Hunan Army and Ye Mingchen's troops still in Guangdong to go to war with the British;  The peace talks were settled and the British and French agreed to compensation, apology and other demands. It was expected that Britain and France would not cause trouble again.

    The two could not agree on their opinions and argued. Finally, Yi? suggested to ask Concubine Yi for her opinion before entering the palace. Yi? and Sushun first had Xianfeng's decree, but then several people couldn't agree, so they had to go to the palace to see Xingzhen.

    After Xingzhen got her reward, she ordered someone to put a screen on the main hall of Lijingxuan, sat behind the screen, and let the two people in.  After the two saluted, they sat down on both sides. Sushun was in the limelight today. He was in charge of the household department and appointed as the co-organizer of the bachelor's degree. He spoke arrogantly and said: "Concubine Yi, the barbarians have persecuted too much and dared to raise troops to attack Guangzhou City.  There is no need to talk to them, just ask the emperor to just start a war, and it will be considered a shame for Jiangning twelve years ago!"

    Xingzhen was slightly unhappy, frowned and asked: "I wonder if Suzhongtang knows how many warships the Yi people have on Guangzhou this trip? How many people and horses are there?"

    Sushun was speechless for a moment, but then continued: "I don't know about this. Ye Mingchen's report only mentioned the number of ships, but there was no real number. On the warships, there was no real number of how many Yi soldiers came, but the Xiangyong General Yang Yuebin came  The news says that the Yi soldiers have about a thousand soldiers."

    Xingzhen said warmly: "The Sage of War has a saying: know yourself and know yourself."We have fought a hundred battles without danger, but now that the enemy's situation is unclear, how can we start a war?  If a war really breaks out, given the nature of the barbarians, Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong and other coastal areas will be threatened by their warships. How can Suzhongtang arrange a formation to retreat from the enemy?  "

    Sushun's face froze and he said angrily: "If you are afraid of the head and the tail, how can a woman just let the barbarians show off their power and lead their troops to attack?"

    As soon as he said this, Yi? He glanced at the domineering Sushun with dissatisfaction. Xingzhen was not angry at all. She chuckled and said: "Su Zhongtang, although I don't understand military affairs, I have read some books about military affairs."  The sage also said that soldiers, national affairs, and the way of life and death must not be ignored. In fact, I am not opposed to starting a war and teaching the barbarians a lesson, but if there is no certainty of victory, it is better to be more cautious. Finally, solemnly  How do the many sages and heroines deal with the words "The Lady in the Middle Hall"? I'm afraid that Queen Xiaozhuang Wen would be uneasy even if she knew about it."

    Sushun's expression became even more ugly, and he sneered: "Your Majesty is indeed very sharp-tongued, so in your opinion, what should we do?"

    Xingzhen said: "Let's listen to Mr. Liu's opinion again."

    Yi? Seeing that Sushun was deflated, he felt refreshed in his heart. He cleared his throat and said, "Sister-in-law of the emperor, in my opinion, I can agree to the request of the barbarians. We have also sent Xiangyong to stand in Guangzhou for the confrontation. There should be no trouble."  Big trouble is coming."

    Xingzhen hummed behind the screen and said slowly: "I have lived in the palace for a long time, and I dare not make rash judgments on national affairs. However, I think of the passage written in the history books about Lin Xiangru's meeting with the King of Qin. Although Lin Xiangru was on an envoy to attack the Qin Dynasty,  . They have never shown a trace of timidity in front of the violent Qin. The Yi people have sent troops to bombard Guangzhou this time. I am afraid that the previous conditions cannot be met, and if we give in completely, it will only make the British and French think that we are weak and can be bullied."

    Sushun couldn't help it, stood up and said, "This won't work, that won't work either, so what should I do?"

    Xingzhen said slowly: "It is said in the art of war that those who conquer the enemy without fighting are good. Britain and France are making such a big fuss this time. It is just because of the previous treaty. The Jiangning Treaty has expired for twelve years, and Britain and France want to  Revise the treaty for greater benefit. Although I have no proper solution yet, it can still be done by delaying it for a while. You can order Ye Mingchen to summon the British and French ministers to the north. Please ask the emperor to have Prince Gong as the negotiating ambassador.  , negotiate with Britain and France at Dagukou. In this way, Britain and France will definitely stop fighting and go north to negotiate."

    The two of them were shocked when they heard this. Sushun sneered and said: "Your Majesty, please don't do anything like this to lure a wolf into your house. The British, French and other foreigners have always wanted to go to Beijing to meet the Holy Spirit. If they get to Dagukou, I'm afraid they will force me to do so."  Enter the capital to meet the saint."

    Xingzhen smiled slightly and said: "England and France want to go to Beijing to meet the saint. It is the common practice of all countries to submit their credentials in person. Ronglu had many contacts with the Yi people in Guangzhou and asked about the saint. The Yi people just wanted to  Entering Beijing to hand over credentials is just a sign of respect. Let's first let the British and French envoys go north, and dispatch elite troops and generals to the south to prepare. Thank you for the time to prepare."

    Yi? said: "My brother understands what the empress means, that is to negotiate with the barbarians first to delay the time. How many of us have time to prepare?"

    Xingzhen said slowly: "I asked Ye Mingchen to bring me some foreign books. There is a book about the biography of the French emperor. There is a saying in it that is very good. Justice is only within the range of cannons.  , this is what the French Emperor Napoleon said. It seems that these barbarians are also bullies and afraid of force. If we only think about negotiations and do not prepare for war, we will definitely suffer in the future. Therefore, both sides of our war must attack at the same time. Those  After seeing the majesty of the official army, the Yi people would not dare to make a mistake." She paused, and then said: "Ye Mingchen's side just needs to be neither humble nor arrogant, and let the Yi people go north to negotiate and resolve the dispute. If there are any unreasonable demands,  Feel free to say no.¡±

    Sushun snorted and said: "It turns out that your Majesty is well-read and that weirdo can know everything about the world without leaving home. Sushun admires her. I hope it goes as I wish. It's just that I think what Britain and France will propose this time."  What are the terms of the contract renewal?¡±

    Xingzhen secretly laughed in her heart. It seemed that Sushun was fighting against her. She asked strangely: "You two are ministers authorized by the emperor to supervise the country. Haven't you thought of the true intentions of Britain and France until now?"

    Sushun and Yi? They looked at each other awkwardly. Sushun frowned and continued: "I expected that they would just ask for the opening of more trading ports and discuss the matter of tariffs and gold."

    Xingzhen took a sip of tea behind the screen. When she heard the words, she couldn't help but became anxious. She choked and coughed a few times. Kang Qi on the side hurriedly beat her back.  It is too simple to think. I have read the records of previous negotiations with the barbarians. Based on the greedy nature of the barbarians, I feel that the demands of Britain and France this time are not that small. I expect that they will demand the entire country.  Opening up, envoys in Beijing, trade on the Yangtze River, legalization of the opium trade, agreed tariffs, and land leasing along the coast.¡±

    After hearing this, both of them were shocked and stood up together.??, Sushun and Yi? said angrily: "It's too much to bully someone like this!" Before they spoke, they both looked at each other.  Yi? then asked anxiously: "Sister-in-law, with such a request, it is impossible to have any detailed discussion with her. It is better to fight."

    Sushun snorted and said, "I told you earlier that you can only talk to the barbarians with a knife."

    Hearing this, Xingzhen said slowly: "Nowadays, our country is suffering from internal and external troubles. At this time, our national strength is weak, and money is needed everywhere. Suzhongtang, you are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. How much money does the Ministry of Revenue have enough for us to fight the war?"

    Hearing this, Sushun gritted his teeth and said, "It's true that there isn't much money in the household deposits, but are we going to let the barbarians bully our superiors?"

    Xingzhen said coldly: "In this negotiation, I hope you two will understand that a weak country has no diplomacy, so the troops in the south, the troops in the north, and the Shenji Battalion of the new army in the capital must be prepared for war, especially in Dagukou.  Select good generals to guard the country. When it comes to negotiations, they are asking for high prices and paying back the money. No matter what, we must let the two countries understand that our country is not yet at the point where it can be bullied. I hope that we can negotiate for a few more years.  Once the long hairs are wiped out, we won¡¯t be afraid of them anymore.¡± (To be continued, please search Piao Tian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!
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