Chapter 224 It's easy to tie a tiger

The court firmly rejected the peace conditions of the Japanese. However, this means that the Qing Dynasty can only fight the war, and the consequences of the war are clear to everyone, but no one dares to say it - the consequence is: the loss of power and the collapse of the Qing court!

At this time, the U.S. minister put forward a peace plan: this plan reduced the conditions of the Japanese to two - the payment of war reparations and North Korea's independence.

The U.S. proposal focuses on North Korea's independence. The United States told the Qing court that although North Korea's separation from the Qing Dynasty and becoming an independent country would harm the practical interests of the Qing Dynasty, North Korea was not the territory of the Qing Dynasty. At least, it would not cause too strong repercussions among the domestic people.

At the same time, the United States told Japan that if Japan insists on capturing Liaodong and Taiwan, the Qing court will inevitably collapse. Once the Qing court collapses and the treaty signed between Japan and the Qing court, that is, a piece of waste paper, Japan's occupation of Liaodong and Taiwan will lose its legitimacy, and even Japan's interests in North Korea cannot be guaranteed. At that time, the Western powers can enter North Korea, Liaodong and Taiwan to seek benefits without recognizing the treaties signed between Japan and the Qing court!

The pressure from the United States has made the Japanese realize that having a big appetite is not a good thing and is likely to be self-defeating and unable to achieve the monopoly of North Korea, Liaodong and Taiwan. However, Japan is not willing to give up Liaodong, which has already arrived. Liaodong is not only rich in fertile land and resources, but also has an extremely important strategic position. It can become a bridgehead for Japan's march into mainland China and a strategic base for Western powers to march into the Pacific Ocean. Once Liaodong is occupied by Russia or Germany, it will It threatens Japan's interests in the Pacific and even poses a threat to Japan!

Japan hesitated for a moment.

The proposal of the United States caused an uproar in the Qing Dynasty.

The U.S. proposal made the court see the hope of peace. As the Americans said, North Korea is not the inherent territory of the Qing Dynasty. It has been lost to the Japanese and has been said in front of the Chinese people, but doing so will make the court lose face. However, it is better to lose face than to collapse. Most of the princes and ministers advocated accepting the U.S. proposal.

However, it is embarrassing that half of the northern part of North Korea is in the hands of Zhou Charter, that is, in the hands of the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the court has always regarded Zhou Charter as a trump card of negotiations. If North Korea is allowed to become independent, it means that the Qing Dynasty must take the initiative to give up Pyongyang! Give Pyongyang to the Japanese!

Throughout the war, Pyongyang was the only fruit of victory achieved by the Qing Dynasty, but the Qing Dynasty had to take the initiative to give up this only fruit of victory! This is really ridiculous! Some people even compared this plan with Song Gaozong's twelve gold medal recall of Yue Fei - giving North Korea to the Japanese is a betrayal of Zhang Jun!

There are not many people opposed to this plan, but they are extremely resolute. Its representative is Yehenarajin, the servant of the Ministry of Ceremonies. In the Forbidden City Yangxin Hall, Jin's words were fierce in front of civil and military officials. He directly scolded the emperor and self-destroying the Great Wall. The empress dowager betrayed his beloved disciple Zhou Charter. Speaking of fierceness, the old man grabbed the flower ling on his head, threw it on the emperor's cases, grabbed the ground with his head, and cried furiously.

Dare to insult the emperor and the empress dowager face to face, if others had been replaced, they would have been pulled out of the noon gate and beheaded for great disrespect. Jin was a well-known pedancing master. Although his behavior was absurd, he was loyal to the Qing Dynasty. Although Emperor Guangxu was so angry, he did not do anything about Jin. He just ordered Jin to be kicked out of the hall and announced that Jin was crazy and insane and needed to go home to recuperate.

When the empress dowager in the garden heard that Jin was insulting her in the Yangxin Hall, she just sneered and did not delve into it.

However, when Jin returned home, he was still dishonest and went on a hunger strike at home, claiming that if the court did not refuse the American proposal, he would go on hunger strike to death and go to the underworld to see the emperor to sue!

The uproof of Jin made everyone in the capital know that the court was going to give up North Korea, and the group was excited for a while. Lower-ranking officials and scholars did not know that if they did not give up North Korea, they would give up Liaodong. They only arrived that if the Qing Dynasty lost North Korea, it would be defeated!

Emperor Guangxu is in a dilemma. On the one hand, the proposal of the United States gave the Qing Dynasty a glimmer of hope for peace talks. On the other hand, Zhou Charter is not only the only chip in the hands of the Qing Dynasty, but also the only trump card in his hands as the emperor. He lost North Korea and Zhou Charter. On the two fronts with the Japanese and the Empress Dowager, Guangxu will lose cleanly!

And the empress dowager in the garden is also in a dilemma. Like Emperor Guangxu, she thought that the American proposal was acceptable, but what bothered her was how to solve Zhou Charter and his Zhang Jun?

That's an army without braids!

This army stays in North Korea, that's all. However, once the American plan is followed, Zhang Jun must withdraw to China.

What will the domestic people think if they see this army? On China's territory, 300 ago, there was an army without braids. It was a Ming army!

What's more terrible is that Emperor Guangxu tightly pulled Zhou Charter and did not let go!

The Empress Dowager Cixi never paid attention to the so-called "imperial party" because the imperial party was a few of Taiwan's clear followers, and they had no soldiers or guns in their hands. However, once this Zhangjun returns to China, the situation will be very different!

Zhang Jun is an army that scares the Japanese! Throughout the country, no army can compete with Zhang Jun!

Guangxu has a strong army in his hand. Compared with the power of the imperial party and the post-party, there will be earth-shaking changes!

Cixi once sent a signal to Zhou Charter through Yuan Shikai, hoping that Zhou Charter would recognize the situation and closely unite around the Empress Dowager.

However, Zhou Charter did not respond positively to this.

On the contrary, there are signs that he seems to be getting closer and closer to Emperor Guangxu.

First of all, Na Jin, the master of Zhou Charter, seems to be neither the imperial party nor the post-party on the surface, but this class attaches great importance to the program and complains about women's politics. Secondly, the old man Jin actually found an uncle for the emperor in Zhangjun, which was extremely ridiculous, but Emperor Guangxu actually admitted this uncle! This is to borrow Zhang Jun to be self-respecting! Third, and most obviously, Guangxu and Zhenfei have returned the Zhou Charter many times, obviously taking care of the Zhou Charter.

All signs show that once he abandons North Korea and lets Zhang Jun return to China, Guangxu is likely to have a showdown with the Empress Dowager with the help of Zhang Jun!

This prospect is terrible, even more terrible than the loss of Liaodong and Taiwan!

In her eyes, national interests are insignificant compared with personal power!

Therefore, although the American proposal could solve the urgent needs of the Qing Dynasty, it pushed Empress Dowager Cixi to the edge of the cliff.

Just this morning, Cixi got another shocking news.

A secret report came from Lai Chuanwu in North Korea, and Zhou Charter returned to China secretly!

Lai Chuanwu's report said that the purpose of Zhou Charter's return to China was to negotiate with the Russians and obtain military supplies.

And Cixi's first reaction was that Zhou Charter cooperated with the Russians, that is, Guangxu cooperated with the Russians!

If the Russians stand on Guangxu's side, plus Zhang Jun, Cixi and her descendants, they are not Guangxu's opponents anyway!

Cixi had a murderous opportunity against Zhou Charter!

Eliminating a person physically is the simplest and most direct way to solve the problem.

However, she hesitated.

Zhou Charter is not a person, but an army!

With the Zhou Charter, the problem of Zhang Jun cannot be fundamentally solved.

There is also a royal uncle Na Wu in Zhang Jun, as well as Luo Mingfang, Feng Guozhang, Wu Peifu, Zhang Xun, and even a foreign devil Hannade. These people have cut their braids and are all hardcore of Zhou Charter! Lai Chuanwu only controlled one battalion of Zhang Jun.

Zhou Charter is dead, how can they give up!

Once they go back to China, who can stop them!

It's easy to tie a tiger!

So, Cixi is very angry. She is angry with Americans! It was they who poked their nose into other people's business and gave her such a problem! But this gas can't be vented on the Americans. She could only vent to the little eunuchs in the garden.

Two unlucky eunuchs have been hit by the board, creating the terrible silence in the Summer Palace.

Minxiu and Cherry smelled the Empress Dowager's anger from the silence of the Summer Palace, but neither of them knew where the Empress Dowager's anger came from.

Early this morning, the Empress Dowager sent a message to Minxiu into the garden to talk. Narrative, if put in ordinary people's homes, is a chat, but Minxiu knows that what the old Buddha wants to talk about is a military and national event, the worst, and it is also the rise and fall of the royal aristocracy. The national policy of the Qing Dynasty and the honor and disgrace of officials are all in this seemingly ordinary "narrative".

For this "narration", Minxiu made full preparations. She didn't know what the old Buddha wanted to "narrate". She could only carefully sort out what she had seen and heard these days to find topics that the Empress Dowager might be interested in in in case of the Empress Dowager's inquiry.

Now, Minxiu sat in front of the empress dowager, and the empress dowager did not ask questions. Minxiu had to sit quietly, waiting for the empress dowager to open the chatter.

Outside the Foxiang Pavilion, the winter sun shines weakly on Kunming Lake, and several crows make ignorant noises on the lake.

Cixi's face was even worse. She shouted at the eunuch standing at the door, "Who put the crow in to mourn?"

The little eunuch turned pale with fear and fell to his knees: "Damn it!" The crow has wings. Where does he like to fly? Where can people control it? But the old Buddha is so unreasonable! If you can't say anything about the crow today, I'm afraid someone will move their heads.

Minxiu said lightly, "Old Buddha, those crows followed me into the garden and had nothing to do with those slaves."

"Follow you? Does the crow listen to you? Cixi sneered.