Chapter 184 Prime Minister

Zhou Charter moved the General Headquarters from Yizhou to Pyongyang, which is located in Peonytai in Pyongyang.

Located in the north of the city, Peonytai is a five-foot-high granite fortress. In the Pyongyang Campaign, Zuo Baogui led the Feng army to defend Peonytai and was unfortunately killed. In the whole battle, Peonytai was the most tenacious position fought by the Qing army.

Zhou Charter did not meet with Zuo Baogui. At the beginning, he went to Zuo Baogui with Liu Bu's letter of recommendation. He made a mistake and failed to meet him in the end. But in Zhou Charter's mind, Zuo Baogui is also his benefactor. What's more, Zuo Baogui died for the country, which is admirable.

Zhou Charter found a skilled craftsman in Pyongyang and set up a white jade tablet for Zuo Baowei under the peony stage. The inscription on the tablet wrote Zuo's precious life and the history of war and death. After the completion of the stone tablet, Zhou Charter led all the officers of the Zhang Army to pay tribute to General Zuo precious in front of the monument, burned Liu Bu Toad's recommendation letter in front of the monument and burned it at the same time. There is also the flag of the Japanese army mixed into a brigade to comfort the precious spirit of the left in heaven.

The original purpose of the Battle of Anzhou was to capture Anzhou to defend Yizhou, so as to gain more living space for Zhang Jun. The result of the battle was greatly unexpected by Zhou Charter. Zhang Jun not only eliminated more than 5,000 Japanese troops of mixed brigades, but also recovered Pyongyang, an important town in northern North Korea, across the Japanese army in southern Korea. The Jinjiang River formed a north-south confrontation, which means that Zhang Jun actually controlled half of North Korea!

However, it is impossible for Zhang Jun to develop further to the south.

In this battle, Zhang Jun killed 5,000 enemies and self-damaged 5,000, which was almost one-to-one compared with the Japanese army. Since the start of the war between Qing and Japan, this is the first time that the war-injury ratio between the Qing army and the Japanese army has reached 1 to 1. Before that, the war injury ratio between the Qing army and the Japanese army has reached 10 to 1.

Desp, 5,000 casualties were too heavy, and Zhang Jun's vitality was greatly injured.

The 6,000 Zhang army still lacked weapons, ammunition and drugs. The Japanese mixed into brigades were extremely tenacious. The war dead always smashed weapons with the last breath. For more than 5,000 Japanese troops, Zhang only did not capture more than 1,000 guns, and none of the cannons were captured, all of which were blown up by the Japanese army.

What's more difficult is that the severe winter has arrived. Zhang Jun lacks cotton-padded clothes and firewood for heating, and he has almost eaten enough food. North Korea's winter is extremely cold, and even the well-equipped and logistically replenished Japanese army is difficult to take action in winter, let alone Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun was unable to go south, the Japanese army was unable to advance north, and the two sides were like a bear entering hibernation.

The imperial court sent an imperial envoy to bring the imperial edict. The imperial edict fully commended Zhou Charter's achievements in leading his troops to recover Pyongyang, but it did not say a word about the annihilation of the mixed brigade - the court did not believe that Zhou Charter could destroy 5,000 Japanese troops in a battle. In the Liaodong Campaign at the same time, 100,000 Qing army only killed more than 100 Japanese troops.

And Japan also deliberately concealed the destruction of the mixed brigade, and the Japanese government was unwilling to let the people know about this fiasco so as not to shake the hearts of the people. The base camp denied that a major general was killed in Anzhou. The major general had just been promoted. In order to cover up the death of Aoki Yuan, the base camp withdrew the promotion order.

It is easy for the Japanese government to fool this matter. Because in Liaodong, the second army of the Japanese army was like a broken bamboo. After capturing Jinzhou Lushun, the Japanese army defeated more than 20,000 troops of Song Qing, the Yalu River garrison who rushed to Liaodong, and the Japanese army firmly controlled Liaodong. The victory of the Second Army was transmitted back to Japan, and the whole country was jubilant, and no one paid attention to North Korea.

Now, even blind people can see that the next goal of the Japanese army is Shandong!

Once Shandong is lost, Zhili will be completely exposed to the front of the Japanese army. In this situation, the Qing court had to withdraw people from all walks of life and defend Shandong with all its strength, completely unable to take care of North Korea. If it hadn't been for the great political significance of Zhou Charter's recovery of Pyongyang, the court would probably have forgotten him, the general of Yizhou.

Because of this, the imperial court's commendation of Zhou Charter is almost symbolic. There is only one imperial edict that gives great spiritual encouragement to Zhou Charter, and there is no real thing, no money, no weapons and ammunition, and no food and cotton-padded clothes.

Of course, along with the imperial edict, there was also an ultimatum, in which the court appointed Zhou Charter as Prime Minister of North Korea, which was Yuan Shikai's position in those years. At the same time, the court granted the grade and future of the officers at all levels requested by Zhou Charter, which was a reward for Zhang Jun.

The so-called prime minister of North Korea is somewhat similar to the governor. At that time, Yuan Shikai was in this position, and it could be said that he wanted to be windy and rainy, just like the emperor of North Korea. However, at that time, North Korea was a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and the title of "Prime Minister of North Korea" still works.

The current situation in North Korea is very different. North Korea's legitimate government is in the Korean court in Seoul. This court does not recognize the patriarchal relationship between North Korea and the Qing Dynasty at all, let alone any prime ministers sent by the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhou Charter, the prime minister or governor of North Korea, is actually a grass king. Except for the court of the Qing Dynasty, no one recognizes him. However, the Qing Dynasty suffered a series of defeats, and the court became famous. The Western powers did not recognize the officials sealed by the court.

Even the officials of the Qing Dynasty found it funny.

Fortunately, the people in northern North Korea are not disgusted with Zhou Charter and other Zhangjun. The people cannot be ownerless for a day. As long as someone comes forward to maintain social order, it is better than nothing.

And Zhou Charter himself is worried.

From the first day he entered Pyongyang, Zhou Charter was entangled by endless lawsuits and it was difficult to get out.

After nearly half a year of war, local officials in northern North Korea, especially Pyongyang, have all gone clean. No one has come forward to lead for the people. The names of neighborhood disputes have been put aside and no one has taken care of them. This time, there is a "prime minister". North Korean people don't understand what "prime minister" is. But they at least know that this minister is their parent official. Since he is a parent official, he has to try the case and mediate. Therefore, after nearly half a year of litigation, the people ran to the peony platform and asked the "Prime Minister Qingtian" to make the decision for them!

For more than ten days in a row, Zhou Charter stayed at home and stayed on the peony platform all day to accept an endless stream of lawsuits. From 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., the lawsuits were picked up together without a moment of leisure, and there was no time to go to the toilet.

Before dawn that morning, Zhou Charter was still lying in the quilt, and the sound of drums under the peony stage was shocking. North Korea, like the people of the Qing Dynasty, knows how to beat drums and complain.

Ajutant Yao Xi rushed down the peony platform and scolded, "Damn it, do you still want to live? It's just four o'clock! Young Master Qingtian sits in the hall at five o'clock! Wait for me honestly!"

I saw a large group of people in Pyongyang, at least 100 people, helping the old and the young, all holding the bedding roll, their faces turned purple with cold, surrounded the peony stage, and looked up to the sky and cried: "Eternal injustice! Eternal injustice! If the Prime Minister Qingtian doesn't make the master for Xiaomin, the Xiaomin can only die under this peony stage!"