Chapter 060 Life and Death

The Empress Dowager has made up her mind, but she can't think of a complete solution for a while.

With Zhou Charter's current status and reputation, the Empress Dowager Cixi can't do it publicly, but she wants to do it secretly, but she is afraid that paper can't wrap the fire.

At this time, Ye Zhichao returned to Beijing to report his work and came to the Summer Palace to meet the Empress Dowager.

According to the agreement reached between the Qing Dynasty and Japan, North Korea is bounded by the Linjin River and divided between the north and the south. Japan continues to control the south of North Korea, while the Qing Dynasty controls the northern part of North Korea. Neither side recognize the Pyongyang regime led by Min Ziying, which is * Russians.

Ye Zhichao's 50,000 troops remained in northern North Korea. Ye Zhichao's biggest headache was not Min Ziying's Guangfu Army, but Zhang Jun.

After the news that Zhou Charter was still alive reached North Korea, Zhang Jun's four regiments immediately expressed their continued loyalty to Zhou Charter. Even Zhang Xun made it clear that he hoped that Zhou Charter would return to North Korea to take charge of the overall situation. Ye Zhichao knew that once Zhou Charter returned to North Korea, Zhang Jun would reunite into an invincible force under the banner of Zhou Charter. At that time, he would not stay in North Korea.

Therefore, Ye Zhichao returned to Beijing this time to persuade the court that Zhou Charter should not be allowed to return to North Korea anyway.

And Empress Dowager Cixi can't let Zhou Charter return to the capital anyway!

So, Ye Zhichao offered a plan to Empress Dowager Cixi and borrowed the hand of the Beiyang sailor to get rid of Zhou Charter.

The Empress Dowager Cixi is very happy!

Ye Zhichao's plan can be said to be a good plan to kill two birds with one stone.

The Beiyang navy is also a heart disease of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In the later stage of the war, Ding Ruchang ignored the order of the dynasty and led the fleet to attack, which itself violated the great taboo of the imperial court, and Ding Ruchang did so in response to the Zhou Charter of Lushun, which was even more the taboo of the Empress Dowager. Moreover, the Beiyang Marine Division defeated the joint fleet, which was so arrogant that the Empress Dowager could do anything about Ding Ruchang for a while.

If Ding Ruchang is asked to kill Zhou Charter, first, the scourge of Zhou Charter can be eliminated, and second, there will be a beam between the Beiyang Marine Division and Zhang Jun, and it will be impossible for the two Han soldiers to unite. If one day, the matter is exposed, the Empress Dowager Cixi can push everything on Ding Ruchang and get rid of Ding Ruchang by the way!

So, the Empress Dowager Buddha ordered Zaiyi, the prince of Duan, to come to Weihaiwei in the name of rewarding the soldiers, secretly received Ding Ruchang, made a wish, and lured Ding Ruchang to take action. At the same time, the eyeliner Lu Tianqing, which was placed by Empress Dowager Cixi in the Beiyang Marine Division, was activated and ordered him to cooperate with the action.

Ding Ruchang's mind is complicated. At the beginning, under Zhang Peilun's persuasion, Ding Ruchang gambled and won the bet. He became a great meritorious minister of the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Guangxu also valued him, and the empress dowager also sent a commendation letter. Ding Ruchang not only saved his head, but also became more and more honorable.

However, Ding Ruchang also knew that the Empress Dowager Cixi would never forget this! The only thing he relies on now is the emperor. If the emperor does something else, the Empress Dowager will turn over and still want to deal with him.

Zaiyi, the king of Duanjun, assured Ding Ruchang that as long as he was willing to do this, he would be guilty. In the future, the empress dowager will definitely care about the past. Not only that, the empress dowager will greatly reuse him.

This is a good opportunity to step on two boats!

If you can meet between the empress dowager and the emperor, Ding Ruchang can always be invincible!

Moreover, Ding Ruchang did not have the courage to refuse Prince Duan face to face.

Therefore, Ding Ruchang agreed to Prince Duan's plan: send Lv Tianqing's Zhenbei gunboat to send Zhou Charter to North Korea and completely solve Zhou Charter in the vast sea.

Lv Tianqing has revealed his true identity to Ding Ruchang. Ding Ruchang took the opportunity to hand over this matter directly to Lv Tianqing. First, no one is worried about this matter. Second, Ding Ruchang also left a way for himself. Once the matter is exposed, he can also push this matter to the Empress Dowager Buddha.

Ding Ruchang and Empress Dowager Cixi are both haunted and leave a way out for themselves.

In this way, Duanjun Wang Zaiyi tricked Zhou Charter into the Zhenbei as planned. Lv Tianqing's cronies got Guo Er pole drunk, and Lv Tianqing coaxed Zhou Charter into the bedroom. Zhou Charter was defenseless and fell asleep.

Taking advantage of Zhou Charter and Guo Erpole's unprepared, Lv Tianqing ordered the Zhenbei to turn the bow and drive south. After arriving at the sea of Zhoushan Islands, Lv Tianqing ordered people to smash the navigation equipment in the turbine room, making the Zhenbei lose power, remove the dragon flag on the Zhenbei, hang a Japanese sun flag, and then take people to rescue The boat went away.

Ding Ruchang has been riding on the Dingyuan ship and monitoring the Zhenbei in the distance. Soon, Lv Tianqing boarded the Dingyuan ship in a lifeboat, and Ding Ruchang immediately ordered Dingyuan to fire at Zhenbei.

The officers and soldiers on the Dingyuan ship looked familiar with the warship in front of them, very much like the Zhenbei, but the warship was flying the flag of the Japanese navy. Everyone didn't know the inside story and had to fire according to the order.

On the sea, it is calm. The sun has already fallen below the sea level, and a crescent moon rises to the blue sky.

Ding Ruchang held a telescope and stared at the sinking place of the Zhenbei. In his vision, scattered fragments were faintly visible and swaying in the sea.

Lv Tianqing stood beside Ding Ruchang and said, "Admiral, you should take a closer look, but you can't leave a living thing." He didn't have a telescope in his hand, and he didn't dare to take the telescope in Ding Ruchang's hand, as long as he looked at Ding Ruchang eagerly.

Ding Ruchang put down the telescope and said, "Return!"

"Why don't we send a few more boats to have a look." Lu Tianqing is still worried.

Ding Ruchang glanced at Lv Tianqing and said, "It's getting late. If there is a wind on the sea, you must go back to Hong Kong to avoid the wind. Lord Lu, this is definitely the treasure of the Qing Dynasty. If something goes wrong, you and I can't make it to the Empress Dowager.

"But..."

"The gunfire of the Dingyuan ship can destroy Matsushima. That small gunboat has become powder, and no one will live!" Ding Ruchang was a little impatient: "Besides, even if someone is alive, he will not live tomorrow, and the sea is about to wind up!"

"Admiral, after all, this is not a small matter!"

"Lord Lu, you can't trust Admiral!" Ding Ruchang raised his tone: "Return!"

Lv Tianqing looked at the dark sea and had to shut up.

The Dingyuan ship turned its bow, drove at full horsepower, sped north, and gradually disappeared into the northern sea.

Half an hour later, dark clouds covered the moon, the wind was strong, and huge waves surged on the sea.

Ding Ruchang sat in his bedroom, listened to the roar of the waves outside, and smashed the telescope in his hand on the deck.

Just now, through this telescope, he saw something he shouldn't have seen.

On the sunken sea of Zhenbei, there are two blurred shadows on a floating wooden board.

At that moment, Ding Ruchang issued an order to return.

At least at that moment, Zhou Charter was not dead!

However, he will not live long. The southeast wind will suddenly rise, and the strong wind and waves will swallow up Zhou Charter!

In this way, Zhou Charter did not die at Ding Ruchang's hands. Ding Ruchang's conscience is better.

Ding Ruchang sat on the couch in a daze, his mind was complicated.

He doesn't know whether his decision is correct.

Zhou Charter's life or death is unpredictable for Ding Ruchang's fate.

He knew that the promise of the Empress Dowager Buddha was not safe!

Ding Ruchang vaguely felt that Zhou Charter seemed to be more beneficial to him to be alive.

The news of the unfortunate death of Zhou Charter spread all over the Qing Dynasty.

The court announced to the whole country that Zhou Charter took the cannon ship Zhenbei and went to Anzhou, North Korea to recruit Zhangjun. Unfortunately, he was hit by a typhoon and the ship was destroyed.

The court posthumously awarded Zhou Charter as a hereditary loyal and brave uncle. Of course, Zhou Charter is an orphan, and Zhao Qiaoer did not give birth to a child for him. In order to reflect the great kindness of the emperor, the emperor granted a two-year-old grandson of Yehenara Jin to Zhou Charter as his son and inherit the title of Zhou Charter.

The Jin family had no reason to have a loyal and brave uncle, and the family was happy. Only the old man Na Jin was looking for death and wanted to follow his beloved disciple Zhou Charter. In the end, his family finally persuaded Jin. Jin no longer looked for life. He ran to Dajue Temple outside Beijing to become a monk.

Jin was a servant of the Ministry of Ceremonies, a member of the imperial court, and a famous great scholar. The host of Dajue Temple did not dare to shave him, so the old man stayed in the temple and did not leave. The monk in the temple had no choice but to serve him well. He greeted him carefully and did not dare to make any difference. Jin was also at ease in the Dajue Temple.

The court held a state funeral for Zhou Charter. Emperor Guangxu ordered the Ministry of Household, and Li Hongzhang, a scholar of Wenhua Pavilion University, to be responsible for the funeral of Zhou Charter.

Before that, Emperor Guangxu gave Zhou Charter a house in Maoer Hutong according to his previous promise. Weng Tongqi wrote a plaque - Zhongyongbo Mansion. Wu Peifu escorted the old lady of the Qin family, Zhao Qiaoer and Liu Yingshu to Beijing and lived in Zhongyongbo Mansion. Zhang Jun also came to Beijing from North Korea, Liaodong and other places to mourn their beloved teachers.

The funeral was held in Zhongyongbo Mansion. According to the emperor's intention, officials above the second grade in the capital and the large and small government in the capital had to send people to mourn. The news spread, and officials not only scrambled to go, but also the gentry people, scholars, and the Sanjiao Jiuliu in Beijing came to express their condolences. In addition, officials from Liaodong, Shandong and other places, Beiyang sailors, and other army generals either came in person or sent people. The door of Zhongyong's mansion is noisy and unprecedented.

All the people entered Zhongyongbo Mansion and cried when they saw Zhou Charter's position. Zhao Qiaoer smiled and bowed to the mourners from all walks of life. She was generous, dignified and extraordinary. All the people who saw Zhao Qiaoer couldn't help but be impressed by the steadyness and open-mindedness of this lady. They all guessed that the lady didn't know which senior official Jinshen's lady she was. No one expected that Zhao Qiaoeryuan She was originally a little girl from a poor family in the northeast.