The Qing Dynasty was never a whole, and insiders like Ci'an understood this very clearly. If France chooses to form an alliance with the Qing Dynasty to jointly deal with Xiao Letian, the common people will not see anything fishy at all.
But political veterans can definitely tell the difference. Even though they appear to be close to the Qing Dynasty, choosing a partner still has to be specific to a certain person.
People who are not in the political circle simply don’t understand the definitions of many secret treaties. Treaties between countries, especially secret treaties, are actually not cooperation between countries, but only cooperation between people.
For example, this secret alliance against Xiao Letian was the French Emperor Napoleon III looking for a trusted partner in the East.
This partner will definitely not be a country or an organization. What is a country? What is an organization? Will you be out of breath? Can you talk? Will you drink and chat with me? Will you pick up girls with me?
None of them are possible. The contract is just a piece of paper. In the end, it depends on people to implement it. It is people, not the country, who jointly eliminate Xiao Letian.
There were too many factions to choose from in the Qing Dynasty, but not many had armies. One was Zeng Guofan, one was the Eight Banners Green Camp controlled by the imperial court, and the other was Yi's Xishan New Army.
Now it seems that the best choice is only Yi. Zeng Guofan's identity as a Han is very sensitive. The Eight Banners and Green Camp of the imperial court have long been crippled by foreigners. Now it seems that only Yi's new army can still win the eyes of the French. Coupled with the little Jiujiu in Yi's belly, they naturally hit it off immediately.
"What a stupid thing Xiao Letian is doing! He doesn't even think about it. The stronger Guiziliu's army is, the greater the threat to him will be in the future? How can he stimulate Yi in disguise to form an alliance with the French?"
"How can Zai Chun be in charge then! How can Guiziliu lose military power so easily? Xiao Letian, do you really not want Zai Chun to be in power?"
Fu Qing frowned, "Probably...probably not! He Xiao Letian and Yi didn't deal with them, and they were forced to form an alliance with the French. It wouldn't do him any good!"
"I think... I think he just lost his mind after the victory. Molière was so resented by the Chinese people that if Xiao Letian didn't kill him, it wouldn't be enough for the people to be angry. He was forced to do that!"
"Confused! You are still speaking for him at this time? Kill well, what kind of stunt are you doing! Burying him alive and making a kneeling statue? Isn't this method just to stimulate the French Emperor to go crazy?"
"I can't think of Xiao Letian's other intentions. He is just arrogant. A series of victories make him wonder how much he weighs!"
Ci'an, who was out of breath, held his hand on the rock and wanted to sit down for a while to rest. Fuqing quickly took a step forward and sat on the rock. He raised his left leg and said with a smile, "It's cold on the rock, so you'd better sit here!" After that, he patted him. thigh.
Ci'an, who was still angry at first, saw Fu Qing's attentiveness and thought about the incident just now. Half of the anger in his heart immediately dissipated, and he spat lightly. Ci'an twisted his buttocks and sat on Fu Qing's lap. .
The eunuchs and maids following not far away looked as if they didn't have eyes. They showed no change in their expressions at such a scene. They turned their heads away naturally and formed a warning circle around the Queen Mother.
"Okay, don't be angry... Didn't the Queen Mother say before that biting dogs don't bark? The bigger Guiziliu makes trouble now, the more dangerous he is actually pushing himself. After all, the Qing Dynasty is still Your Majesty, Emperor Tongzhi’s position is as secure as Mount Tai, how can he rebel so easily..."
Ci'an put his arms around Fu Qing's shoulders and sighed, "I'm just afraid, afraid that these people won't be patient enough to wait... That child Zai Chun also has a short temper. If he takes charge, he will never use the skill of using a terrazzo to slowly get along with him." Yi Zhouxuan, maybe it will be a hard top..."
"And when Yi competed with the late emperor for the great treasure, he almost won. After all these years, do you think he has no resentment in his heart? I'm just telling you the truth... If the late emperor really managed the country well, Guiziliu would still be there No idea."
"But I didn't expect that as soon as the late emperor came to the throne, there would be a Changmao Rebellion, and then the British and French attacked the capital... There was indeed a group of people in the Eight Banners gossiping. They felt that Lord Daoguang had chosen the wrong person. It would be better to choose Yi De at that time... …”
"His new army in the Sixth Lane of the Japanese Army is so successful. Do you think there is any secret behind this? In fact, it makes me shudder to think about it. It is precisely because many people think that way that they send their nephews to Xishan. Go and deliver..."
"Do you think the Ai family is blind? Every one of those families has begun to bet on both ends!"
Fu Qing himself was a child who grew up in the Eight Banners circle. He had seen a lot of the calculations in this kind of mansion. The aristocratic family had not fallen down after several dynasties. It was not an all-rounder.
Those people will never be loyal to the emperor. Betting in multiple directions is their philosophy of survival. No matter who comes to power, they can quickly stick to it. This is their ability.
"Then what should we do? We have to protect the Emperor!" Fu Qing said worriedly.
"If we want to protect the Emperor, we must protect ourselves first! How much strength do you have at your disposal now?" Ci'an asked coldly.
Fu Qing carefully calculated, "There is a lot of money. Currently, the funds that can be directly used are more than 10 million, and the remaining more than 100 million are fixed assets that cannot be moved but generate very generous returns every year..."
"The most difficult thing to deal with is actually the soldiers... I now have more than 200 guards loyal to the Queen Mother hidden in Tanggu City. They are hiding in Xiao Letian's new army like spreading sand. They have also learned real skills!"
"I hid three hundred people in Yixian County, and I hid six hundred people in Jiangnan... That's the limit. This is the limit of what I can do. If I go more, I'm afraid people will notice..."
Fu Qing was not fighting alone. He and a group of people gathered under Ci'an's command, and they always regarded themselves as Qing reformers. These people supported the establishment of the telegraph network, the formation of an ironclad navy, and even supported the construction of railways...
The reformists and the conservative faction represented by Ci Xiyi are two parties with completely different ideas. The competition between the two parties is still fierce, but at present, the conservative faction is still stronger because most of the army is in the hands of the conservative faction.
But Ci'an and Fuqing knew very well the cruelty of the internal struggle within the imperial court. Without money and soldiers, they would be left to die. In recent years, Fuqing continued his relationship with Xiao Letian, using Ci'an's private money and using countless connections to provide support to the reformers. A lot of properties were purchased.
Telegraph companies, factories, southern stock markets, Ryukyu business houses... they do whatever makes money. Once they have money, they start to recruit loyal talents and prepare to secretly form their own hardcore army.
Fu Qing is still capable. In just a few years, his assets have exceeded 100 million, and he has a thousand soldiers at his disposal. Moreover, everything is done in secret, and the court has no idea about it.
What Ci'an loved was that Fu Qing was capable, not only in bed, but also in his career, and he didn't have any of the bragging and playfulness of a boy from the Eight Banners.
The more he looked at this man's kindness, the more he fell in love with him. In the end, he couldn't help but go up and kiss him sweetly. "Don't be stupid, I know it's difficult for you. It's already difficult for you to do this... Don't worry, the Yi family has a way!"
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