Opening the thick archives of Chinese historical materials, when people fifty or a hundred years later open the secret files that have expired, a real Manchu Qing Dynasty will emerge before their eyes.
The stench and corruption within this decadent and declining dynasty are simply unimaginable to outsiders, and the iconic figure behind all this filth is Cixi.
This is an extremely selfish woman. She is a slave completely controlled by power. She thinks she can control power, but she does not know that she has been controlled by power.
Seizing power, using it to gain glory and wealth, and becoming the most 'noble' person in the entire Qing Empire were her lifelong ideals, and nothing else mattered.
In the court of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, even Guiziliu, Yixuan, Ci'an and others, although they had selfish motives in thinking about the problem, they would analyze the problem in the interests of the Eight Banners Group no matter what.
It is precisely because there is a bottom line of values in the heart that all Ci'an will tolerate Cixi's palace changes without instituting a prison, and Guiziliu will fall out with Cixi because foreign devils may take over military power.
The bottom line for these people is that the Eight Banners military group cannot fall. This interest group is the core of everything!
But Cixi is not. There is only one core in Cixi's heart, and that is her own interests. All stumbling blocks that interfere with her own interests must be kicked off, and anything that can help her consolidate her rights must be united.
That's why there is a famous saying, "I would rather live with a foreigner than a domestic slave"!
It doesn’t matter whether he is a Han or a foreign devil, as long as he guarantees my old Buddha’s glory and wealth and rights in the Qing Dynasty, then it doesn’t matter. I can give up any interests I want, and I can do whatever dirty tricks I want!
Unable to seek help from Ci'an, Cixi began her own secret plan. She first secretly ordered Minister Zai Ling of the Ministry of War to issue a transfer order to General Ronglu of Xi'an.
Of course, Cixi had no right to transfer Ronglu's official position, but Cixi secretly changed a concept here. He secretly sent a secret message to Ronglu, saying that Ronglu's mother was in heavy troops and needed to go home to visit.
Ronglu was Cixi's childhood sweetheart, but she was different from Isiha. Isiha was a kidney transplant, but Ronglu was a heart transplant!
Moreover, Ronglu was a serious bannerman and had many years of experience in leading troops. Although he was in the wrong position during Xinyou's coup, his actions over the years also made Ronglu understand his own priorities.
Ronglu knew very well that the only big figure in the court he could really rely on was Cixi, and the others could only seek a superficial appearance, but could not enter the inner circle.
Ronglu was a trump card in Cixi's hand. Cixi had allocated a lot of resources to Ronglu over the years.
The Minister of War, Zai Ling, had a close relationship with Ci Xi, but it was not yet an alliance. If Ci Xi asked Zai Ling to lower the order and transfer Ronglu to the capital, he would definitely encounter fierce opposition from Guiziliu, Yixuan and Ci'an.
If these people don't nod, Cixi can't give orders to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel!
But Cixi changed a gimmick. He asked Ronglu to return to Beijing to visit his mother. To put it bluntly, this was a time lag!
In ancient times, transportation was very inconvenient. It took more than a month to travel from Xi'an to the capital at normal speed. It was common for two months to travel if you carried too many things.
Now I'm giving an order, it will be the Spring Festival when Ronglu arrives in the capital, and you can't let him go back to Xi'an during the Spring Festival, right? Then just take advantage of the situation to celebrate the New Year. No matter how you find an excuse to be sick, it will delay it for another three or four months.
At this time, his son Zai Chengke returned to the capital. He immediately made preparations for the wedding, and then coerced his son to give him a promotion and keep him near the capital no matter where he went.
Cixi had not thought about how to use Ronglu at the moment, but she had this feeling that Ronglu and his servants who were capable of fighting would definitely play a role.
They built the plank road openly and secretly to Chencang, and first transferred Rong Lu to the capital. When spring comes next year... Gordon and the others can basically reach the capital no matter how slow they are!
You Guiziliu doesn't like it, but I can't stand it. Cixi likes it. Gordon is an admiral, and a British admiral... What an important chess piece this is. It must be useful, it must be useful!
"Send a telegram to Zuo Zongtang and ask him to take good care of the Gordon expedition and make sure there is no mistake at all!"
Wanliguan Mountain, just when the undercurrent of the capital was surging, in the far northwest, in the upper left corner of the Gansu map, on the western side of Mazong Mountain, a huge cavalry team was walking on the snow on the Gobi Desert. Head south.
The northwest wind carved into their faces like knives. Everyone was wrapped in thick sheepskins, wolf skins, fox skins, etc., leaving only two red eyes with cold eyes exposed.
As long as you look carefully, these people's eyelashes are already covered with frost.
Mazong Mountain is the largest mountain range in northwest Gansu, and is called Beishan by the locals. This mountain cuts off the connection between Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Due to the serious lack of water and grass here, there are hills, dry ravines, and knife-like slate Gobi Desert everywhere... The natural conditions are so harsh that no local herders come here to graze.
The tens of thousands of square kilometers of mountains are completely uninhabited land, with only some small roads providing shortcuts for passing caravans.
It is worth mentioning that when the Xingxing Gorge was blocked by the rebels and material exchanges between the Central Plains and Xinjiang were completely cut off, this mountain range magically regained some vitality.
Because there is a very secret ancient road here, which is the Mingshui Ancient Road. During the Han Dynasty, our ancestors had already discovered this small road hidden in Mazong Mountain and built a military fortress to control the road.
This is Mingshui Ancient City!
After the Aguba Rebellion, this ancient road that had been dormant for thousands of years actually came back to life again. Smugglers risked their lives on this ancient road to transport goods from the Central Plains, as well as jade, carpets, and medicinal materials from the Western Regions. Wait for the goods to be shipped out.
Today, this team of more than 500 people is walking on the ancient Mingshui Ancient Road of the Han Dynasty, heading towards Guazhou City with difficulty.
At the cost of sixteen lives, the Gordon expedition finally crossed the thousands of miles of no-man's land north of the Gurbantong Desert and entered the southern grasslands of Zasak Tuhan.
On the day after the Battle of Xingxingxia broke out, this miserable expedition was finally discovered by the local Maodong herdsmen. These Zasaktu herdsmen were all dumbfounded. They never imagined that Central Plains people and foreign devils would cross in winter. No man's land.
The herdsmen did not dare to neglect braving the wind and snow to report to the Khan's garrison. The 13th generation Zhasak Tuhan was shocked when he heard the news, and immediately sent four hundred elite cavalry and the most experienced guides to meet these distant lands. distinguished guests.
The position of Zhasak Tuhan was conferred by Emperor Kangxi, and it has been handed down to the thirteenth generation. Over the long years, this khanate has established a very close ruling relationship with the Qing Dynasty.
Both the Great Khan and ordinary herdsmen have accepted the rule of the Qing Dynasty from their hearts!
The Tongzhi Emperor's expedition team that was able to fight its way from the rebel territory was the most distinguished guest in the entire Khanate. The Great Khan had already swept the golden tent to welcome the distinguished guests.
However, they never expected that these cavalrymen did not welcome the expedition team. The Gordon expedition team, carrying Emperor Tongzhi's secret order, went all the way south from Zhasaktu Zuo Banner to Gansu.
Doro and Guan Luhuan said righteously, "The emperor's mission is on my side, and I dare not forget the instructions of Long Live Lord... Even if I die, I must go south and cross Mazong Mountain. I must see Marshal Zuo who is marching to the west!"
The Thirteenth Generation Khan was moved by this indomitable momentum and presented 200 strong horses and countless supplies, and sent 400 cavalry to escort them all the way.
This is how this huge team appeared on the Mingshui Ancient Road in the Han Dynasty!
